The Reality of Prayer

By Ivonne J. Hernandez

​
​“Our Lord gives to souls of prayer a deep understanding of Himself, He never deceives them.” – St. Peter Julian Eymard


MEDITATION:

How many times have we had our perception of reality shifted by gaining new understanding? How about those times we look back at a particular experience and see, in hindsight, that what we thought was a bad thing was in reality a huge blessing in our lives? The blessings were there all along, but we couldn’t see them. Our perception of reality is limited, and it is often obscured by sin. The hurts and pains of our past color how we see our present circumstances and those around us. As God moves in our lives and heals our hearts, we gain a new perspective and see things more clearly.

Do we always have to wait for time to pass to gain this understanding? Yes and no. Although it is true that discernment is confirmed by the fruits of the Spirit, and those are only evident in hindsight, we can ask God to give us His perspective now. To see things how God sees them; this is a gift of the Spirit -- the gift of understanding. In the Eucharist we rise above our misery and see things through Him, with Him and in Him. We are literally climbing up a high mountain and looking through a focused lens to the reality below.

And, what about those times when, although we ask for the gift of understanding, our perception remains clouded and we do not know what to do? We hold Mary’s hand and trust she will lead us through the darkness. We remember all the times we have looked back and seen the blessings, and trust we are receiving them right now. We pray, we wait, we give thanks. We stay close to the Eucharist, to Truth and Reality Himself, and know that with Him, we will never be deceived.