December 2011 Archives - Live Holiness

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How to Pray: Be Aware

Written by Michael Najim on December 23, 2011 - Leave an Awesome Comment

It is important that we have the proper focus when we pray. Christian prayer is not about introspection; Christian prayer is Christ-centered. And so our awareness as we begin to pray is crucial.

When we quiet our minds and hearts by relaxing and focusing on our breath, we are not preparing to naval-gaze; we are preparing to enter into a prayerful awareness of God’s loving presence in and around us.

A Common Mistake
Many people mistakenly focus on themselves at the beginning of prayer. I still fall into this trap at times. It’s easy to do, because when we pray we want to pour our hearts out to God. But authentic prayer is meant to lead us to deeper communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, we should still pour out our hearts to God in prayer, but first our awareness ought to be on the Lord’s love for us. Read more »

How to Pray: Be Still

Written by Michael Najim on December 18, 2011 - 1 Comment

Let’s go deeper into the subject of how to pray. In my last post I suggested four steps to help us enter into prayer. I’d like to explore each of these in more detail in the next few posts.

As we enter into prayer, we first choose to be still. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). That beautiful verse from Psalm 46 is the starting point for prayer; and the verse takes on even more significance as we approach Christmas.

For the next several days, traffic will be crazy and people will be running around finishing their Christmas preparations. I’ve always found it ironic that this time of year which ought to be the most peaceful–the time that we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace–is actually the most hectic. But in order to truly prepare for Christmas, we must allow our hearts and minds to be still. Read more »

How to Pray

Written by Michael Najim on December 12, 2011 - 3 Comments

“Master, teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1). After being in the company of Jesus, listening to His words, witnessing His healings, and seeing His deep relationship with His Heavenly Father, the Apostles longed to know how to pray as Jesus prayed. They were attracted by His holiness and His peace.

We, too, long to know God in a deeper way. As Jesus shares the most intimate relationship with His Father, we too desire to share that intimacy with God. Prayer is the way to God.

But how to pray? Can we learn how to pray? Can we really have an intimate relationship with God? The answer is, “Yes!” Not only can we have an intimate relationship with God; God desires that we be in an intimate friendship with Him.

So, whether you are just learning how to pray, or you want to deepen your life of prayer, here are four steps to guide you along the path of prayer: Read more »

What is Consecration to Mary?

Written by Michael Najim on December 6, 2011 - Leave an Awesome Comment

The act of consecrating oneself to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a venerable tradition in the Catholic Church. It has been promoted by many saints, St. Louis de Montfort being one of the more popular proponents. But consecration to Mary is also greatly misunderstood, especially by non-Catholic Christians.

Simply put, when a person consecrates oneself to Mary, that person decides to entrust his or her very life to Mary’s care, protection, and guidance. Consecration is the act of placing oneself in Mary’s hands and heart and trusting that she will teach and form us, that she will lead us closer to Jesus, and that she will help us to live God’s plan; in short, that she will help us to become saints.

Objections are often raised to this act of piety: Is it not idolatry to entrust oneself to Mary who is only a human being? Why should we consecrate ourselves to Mary when the only person to whom we should “belong” is God Himself?

My answer to this objection is one that is very simple, so simple that a child can understand it; and therein lies the beauty of the act of consecration to Mary: it is simple yet powerful.

As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus Christ. Entrusting oneself to Mary, then, is a way to imitate Jesus; for Christ literally entrusted Himself to Mary’s care: He was formed in her womb, under her heart. When a person spiritually consecrates oneself to Mary, he or she is simply imitating what Jesus literally did: as Christ gave Himself to Mary, so too can we give ourselves to her.

In His humanity, Jesus allowed Himself to be taught and formed. Mary (and Joseph) taught Him how to pray, how to do acts of kindness for others; they taught Him the Torah. So, too, will Mary teach and form us. By entrusting ourselves to her care, she will lead us closer to her Son; she will teach us how to pray and how to love Him more.

Consecration to Mary is not idolatry; it is perfect imitation of Jesus.

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