Jesus has given us a Way for us Christian disciples to follow Him here on earth. It is the way of the cross. It is the way of love, mercy, forgiveness and charity. Christian discipleship is often at times a life of self-denial, but it is a life that leads to the hope of eternal life with Jesus.
But as it is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” 1st Corinthians 2:9
How exactly does one scale a human life span in terms of eternity?
A grain of sand on the beach?
A droplet of water in the ocean?
Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand, so are these few years among the days of eternity. Sirach 18:10
Even if we live to be over one hundred years old, the brevity of human life is simply of no comparison for the life to come.
Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone. Psalms 90:10
Love is the gift God gave us. God breathed his very life into us.
…the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
Even if we live a full life, eventually the gift of life God gave us goes back to Him.
And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7
What will God find when He opens up the gift of life He gave us? It is hard to love someone we don’t know. That is why God gave us the Gospels.
The Gospels help us to know and understand Jesus so we can learn to love Him the way He loves us. The Gospels help us to answer questions we may have about Jesus.
What did Jesus do?
Where did Jesus go?
What did Jesus say?
Who was Jesus with?
Why did Jesus do the things He did while He was down here on earth?
Why did Jesus sacrifice Himself on the cross for us so we might be with Him?
Everything Jesus did, He did out of love for us.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, Ephesians 5:1
It makes sense that not only would we want to spend time with Jesus in prayer, but we would also want to contemplate His every move and Word. It make sense we would want to be more like Him in thought, word and deed. Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus has the words of eternal life. St. Peter himself affirms this in the Gospel of John.
…You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
A Good Morning with God
One of the things Jesus did was spend quiet time alone with the Father in prayer.
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
You are never alone. When you pray, God is with you. God is always with you.
…And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. Matthew 28:20
We are called to imitate the Lord’s example. We should offer our hearts up to God at the dawn of each day, giving morning glory to the One who has given us the gift of life, and the many blessings we have received from Him. Let us always be thankful.
Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn. I will praise you among the peoples, Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations. Psalms 57:9-10
Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and Holy Spirit…as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, Amen.
Just praying a short prayer of praise to God in the morning is a way to express you are mindful of Him in your day and in your life. A morning prayer with Jesus is morning glory in the Kingdom of God with Christ and His holy angels.
Christ, King of Glory, be our light and our joy.
Here are some points of contemplation about Jesus alone with the Father in Prayer.
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
- Jesus woke up early in the mornings.
- The first thing Jesus did in the morning was pray.
- Jesus made his morning offering to the Father in solitude.
- Jesus seeks guidance from God the Father just like we do.
- Jesus demonstrates ordinary simplicity and humility.
- Jesus practices what He preaches.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Matthew 6:5-6
Jesus often draws apart to pray in solitude, on a mountain, preferably at night. He includes all men in his prayer, for he has taken on humanity in his incarnation, and he offers them to the Father when he offers himself….His words and works are the visible manifestation of his prayer in secret. CCC 2602
In terms of simplicity, a formula to follow from Jesus may look something like this.
- Wake
- Pray
- Be Amazing
- Repeat
Reading over the catechism passage above, it basically says it was Jesus’ prayer life that made Him amazing in all that He said and did.
In faith, we can just touch the tassels of the cloak of Jesus and still be amazing with the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can give thanks and follow God every day.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praise to your name, Most High, To proclaim your love at daybreak, your faithfulness in the night, Psalms 92:2-3
Morning Glory
Here is a prayer for spiritual communion with Jesus.
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
A Morning Offering to God
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (if applicable, here kiss your scapular as sign of your consecration to Mary, which carries a partial indulgence), I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering of my every thought, word, and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate, that she may best apply them in the interests of Thy Most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!