We may have the good intention to set aside a time of prayer each day, but then life gets busy and we never do it. On the other hand, we may pray every day in the morning, but then don’t allow that prayer to permeate the rest of our day.
One solution to both problems is to pray aspirations, short little “darts of love” to God throughout the day.
This type of prayer takes only a few seconds to do, but can have a profound effect on our life.
St. Francis de Sales encourages everyone to partake in this type of prayer on a daily basis.
Aspire then frequently to God … by short but ardent dartings of your heart; admire His beauty; invoke His aid; cast yourself in spirit at the foot of the cross; adore His Goodness; address Him frequently on your salvation; give your soul to Him a thousand times a day; fix your interior eye upon His sweetness; stretch out your hand as a little child to its father, that He may conduct you … plant Him in your soul like a standard; and make a thousand sorts of different motions of your heart, to enkindle the love of God.
While there are countless prayers that have been written over the centuries, St. Francis de Sales wrote that the best type of prayer is one that comes from the heart.
For example, one could simply say, “I love you Jesus,” randomly throughout the day. Other times we could say “Thank you, Jesus,” when something good happens. Or we could say “Forgive me, Jesus” when we do something wrong.
How simple it is!
Furthermore, St. Francis de Sales went so far as to say that we must do this, no matter the state of our spiritual life.
Without it no one can lead a true contemplative life, and the active life will be but imperfect where it is omitted: without it rest is but indolence, labor but weariness,—therefore I beseech you to adopt it heartily, and never let it go.
A person madly in love with another person will often send little text messages or emails to their beloved throughout the day. In a similar way, we should send little messages of love to God in the midst of our daily activities. This will help us direct all things to God and may even save us from a temptation we are experiencing.
Take 5 seconds right now to pray to God, offering to him a little “dart” of love.
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And today we celebrate...