Daily Devotional Based on the Spiritual Classic He and I

Don’t aim at saying an exact number of wordy prayers. Just love Me simply. A look of your heart. The tender smile of a friend.

7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (Matthew 6:7).


O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a child quieted at its mother’s breast;
    like a child that is quieted is my soul. (Psalm 131:1-2)

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:5-6).

O Lord, we just want to check off the boxes don’t we? Rosary, check, whatever Novena we are working on, check, month of the Sacred Heart or Precious Blood so let’s do the correct litany, check. And all of this is good- hardly just wordy prayers, they are prayers of the Church. But it is so easy to get the mindset of making prayer either a list to complete or said so quickly we cannot possibly be meditating on their meaning. And the Rosary in particular is meant to be a meditative prayer. And prayed from the heart as Our Lady tells us in Medugorje. Even in these very holy things we can make prayer about us and not You! Yet, You wait for us to love You simply- to just spend time with You in our little prayer corner at home or in Adoration. To even let You speak so that we can truly listen to You! So let us yes, pray all the beautiful prayers, but also spend time with You in quiet just keeping our eyes on You Jesus, with love for the Love that longs for union with us. And whether we are saying vocal prayers, spending time in meditation, or just sitting with You in the quiet may all be with purity of intention heart to Heart!