Episode 2998: One Hour with Jesus: Deepening Our Prayer Life: 3rd Week of Lent

Theme: Entering into deeper union with God through mental prayer
Total Time: 1 Hour
Opening and Welcome
Thank you for coming to spend One Hour with Jesus this week, we move deeper into the heart of the spiritual life. But first, let’s briefly recall where we've been so far in our journey.”
Week 1: The Call to Conversion
In Week 1, we heard Christ's personal call: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.’
We reflected on how conversion isn’t a one-time event but a lifelong turning of our hearts toward God. We were invited to detach from sin, renounce our self-will, and embrace the grace of ongoing transformation.
Week 2: The Necessity of Penance – Mortification as the Path to Sanctification

Then in Week 2, we focused on penance not as something negative, but as a means of purifying love. Mortification, self-denial, fasting these aren’t punishments, but spiritual training. As Christ said, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’ We learned that through penance, our souls become more free able to love, serve, and respond to God.

Week 3: Deepening Our Prayer Life – Entering into Deeper Union with God through Mental Prayer
And now, in Week 3, we explore prayer not just saying prayers, but entering into a living relationship with the One who loves us. If conversion is our ‘yes’ to God, and penance clears the path, then prayer is where the encounter happens. In particular, we’ll reflect on the beauty and necessity of mental prayer, a rich tradition taught by the saints, and the soul’s deepest response to God.
This week, we are invited to go deeper—not just to say prayers, but to become prayer
Opening Prayer:
"O Lord, open our hearts to love You more in prayer. Teach us the discipline of silence and contemplation. Amen."

Teaching Focus: What Is Mental Prayer?
Prayer is simply: “Lifting our hearts and minds to God.”
Two types of prayer:
o Vocal Prayer: Words we say Our Father, Hail Mary, Rosary, Mass responses.
o Mental Prayer: Heart-to-heart conversation with God silence, reflection, listening.
• Quote St. Teresa of Avila:
“Mental prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
Friendship requires time, presence, and intimacy. This is what God wants with us.
The Necessity of Prayer in Spiritual Warfare
Every day, we are in a spiritual battle for our soul, our family, our Church.
Pope St. Pius X’s quote:
“Prayer is the first and chief duty of a Christian.”
Prayer is not optional; it is armor, light, and strength.
Even Christ withdrew to pray especially before big moments.
"And he retired into the desert, and prayed." Luke 5:16
And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and there he prayed." Mark 1:35
Mental prayer is the deeper form of spiritual strength.
Matthew 6:5–15
5 And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
6 But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee.
7 And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard.
8 Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him.
9 Thus therefore shall you pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.
14 For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences.
15 But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.
Highlights of this scripture:
o Jesus' instruction: “Go to your inner room, close the door and pray.”
o The Lord’s Prayer as a model: reverence, trust, humility, forgiveness.
Reflect: Jesus shows us how to pray with the heart, not for show.
• Invite silent reflection (2-3 minutes) on one phrase from the Lord’s Prayer that speaks personally.

Wisdom from the Saints
“He who flees prayer flees all that is good.” St. John of the Cross
Why Prayer Is the Source of All Good
1. God Alone Is Good.
o Scripture tells us: “None is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18).
o If all goodness flows from God, then prayer is the lifeline to that goodness.
2. Prayer is the conduit of grace.
o St. Alphonsus Liguori: “He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not is certainly damned.”
o Grace strengthens virtue, enlightens our path, and keeps us from sin.
3. Without prayer, the soul withers.
o Like a flower cut off from its root, the soul deprived of prayer dries out and dies.
o Without daily communion with God, even good actions lose supernatural merit.
What Happens When We Flee Prayer?
Reflect on the phrase: “He who flees...”
It implies not just neglect but deliberate avoidance.
1. We isolate ourselves from God.
o Like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden we flee not just prayer but God Himself.
2. We fall into practical atheism.
o A life without prayer is a life where God becomes irrelevant in decision-making, thought, and action.
3. We become spiritually lukewarm or cold.
o Our heart becomes divided.
o We may still appear “Catholic” externally, but without prayer, we lose the fire of charity.
St. John Vianney: “If you do not pray, you are like a fish out of water.”
Prayer Transforms
1. St. John of the Cross
o Imprisoned, beaten, and humiliated by his own religious brothers, he turned to deep interior prayer, composing poetry that still moves souls.
o He became a master of the “dark night”—teaching that union with God is possible only through prayer, even amid suffering.
2. St. Teresa of Avila
o “Mental prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
o She revived Carmel through contemplative prayer, even amidst physical sickness and spiritual dryness.
3. St. Padre Pio
o Prayed the Rosary constantly, said Mass for hours, lived in almost constant conversation with Christ.
o His miracles were born of intense, continuous prayer.
Call to Action: Return to the Source
• If you’ve let prayer slip return today.
• Start simply: 15 minutes of silent mental prayer, or the daily Rosary.
• Treat prayer as oxygen, not an option.
• Place yourself before the Lord even when dry, distracted, or tired.
Let prayer become the heartbeat of your day, the anchor of your soul.
Now lets transition to St Francis de Sales
“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.” St. Francis de Sales
The Rosary as the Church’s most powerful, accessible, and transformative form of prayer.
This wasn’t a poetic exaggeration. It was the voice of a saint who knew that the Rosary is a ladder to heaven simple, powerful, and profoundly Christ-centered.”
Why the Rosary is the Greatest Method of Prayer
It is both vocal and mental prayer.
o With our lips, we repeat ancient prayers Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
o With our minds and hearts, we meditate on the life of Christ.
o This mirrors how the saints prayed: with both body and soul engaged.
2. It unites us to Mary.
o The Rosary is Mary's school of prayer.
o When we pray it, we are walking hand in hand with Our Lady through the mysteries of Christ’s life.
3. It conforms us to Christ.
o Each mystery draws us deeper into His life His humility, suffering, love, resurrection.
o Over time, we begin to think, feel, and act more like Christ.
4. It is accessible to all.
o From children to monks, peasants to popes all can pray the Rosary.
o No theological degree required only a willing heart.

What the Saints and Popes Have Said
1. St. Louis de Montfort:
“When the Holy Rosary is well prayed, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.”
2. Padre Pio:
“The Rosary is the weapon for these times.”
o He carried it constantly, praying dozens a day.
3. Pope Leo XIII:
“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life.”
4. Sr. Lucia of Fatima:
“There is no problem, no matter how difficult…that cannot be solved by the Rosary.”
These aren’t just endorsements they are cries from heaven: “Pray the Rosary!”
How the Rosary Changes Us
1. Interior peace and order.
o The repetition slows us down, helps our hearts breathe spiritually.
o We begin to live with Mary’s calm and Christ’s peace.
2. Growth in virtue.
o Each mystery calls us to imitate Christ:
 Humility (Annunciation),
 Patience (Crowning with Thorns),
 Hope (Resurrection),
 Charity (Pentecost).
3. Protection and deliverance.
o Many exorcists and saints attest: the Rosary is a spiritual sword.
o In temptation, confusion, fear clutch your beads.
St. Dominic converted heretics with it.
Bl. Bartolo Longo, a former satanic priest, was saved by it.
Practical Encouragement
• Begin today even if slowly.
• If a full Rosary is too much, start with one decade, prayed with love.
• Carry it with you. Let it be your companion, not a burden.
“The Rosary is a chain that binds us to heaven,” St. Catherine of Siena said.
What did St Theresa of Avila say?
St. Teresa of Avila, one of the great Doctors of the Church and a master of mental prayer, often guided her Carmelite nuns in a very simple, yet profound method of praying.
When some of her sisters struggled with distractions or felt too spiritually dry to meditate deeply, she gave them this gentle advice:
“Let them picture Christ within them, and not turn away from so good a guest, but speak with Him in all humility, as they would with a father, a brother, a lord, and a spouse.”
She especially encouraged them to gaze upon Christ in His Passion to place themselves imaginatively at the foot of the Cross, or to walk beside Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. She herself once said:
“I was more fond of those pictures of Christ which showed Him wounded, than of those which show Him as He was during His life.”
For Teresa, this wasn’t mere imagination it was a real encounter with the suffering Christ. She taught that simply being with Him in His pain and loving Him there was powerful mental prayer.
She reminded her nuns and us that prayer isn’t about lofty thoughts, but about faithful, loving presence.
Remember Saints weren’t born holy they prayed constantly and were transformed.
Practical Application: Mental Prayer Made Simple
Establishing a daily habit of 30 minutes of mental prayer.
• Tips for beginners
o Choose a quiet place.
o Use a spiritual book, Scripture, or image of Christ/Our Lady.
o Begin with a short prayer invoking the Holy Spirit.
o Reflect slowly, speak to God personally, then listen in silence.
• Simple structure:
o 5 mins: Invite God in.
o 15-20 mins: Reflect and speak with Him.
o 5 mins: Rest in His presence, conclude with thanksgiving.
Concluding Prayer and Encouragement
You don’t need to be a mystic just faithful.
Journaling or offering up struggles in prayer.
Ask for Our Lady’s help to remain faithful in this path.
Concluding Prayer:
"O Blessed Virgin, lead us ever deeper into the heart of Your Son through prayer.
May we, like the saints, live in constant conversation with Him. Amen."
Final thought:
God thirsts for you. Give Him the joy of your friendship each day, in silence, in love, in prayer.