I stand at the door of your heart, day and night, [...] waiting for even the smallest signal of your response, even the smallest suggestion of an invitation that will permit Me to enter. [...] I do come always, without fail. Silent and invisible, I come - Mother Teresa, in "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" poem. 

If Mother Teresa's goal is clear, so is the way to reach it. The purpose and the mean are intimately linked: as long as we don't listen to Jesus in the silence of our heart, we won't be able to hear him say "I thirst" in the heart of the poor... He misses you when you don't approach him. He thirsts for you. 

Matthew 6, 5-8

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

Praying in secret doesn't mean praying in the dark, to flee the stares and to avoid testifying to one's faith publicly. Praying in secret, it is first and foremost praying with authenticity, in the truth of the one who focuses on "being" before "seeming." Then, it is praying in the depth of the innermost heart, and the junction with the soul and the spirit, where the Word of God dwells. Finally, it is entering into a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ.

Thus, prayer brings us into the deepest of this divine intimacy. And by letting us into the mystery of the secret of anticipatory heaven, prayer gives us the key to this mystery. 

Prayer

Lord, help me silence my heart so that I may become attentive to your Word and answer your call. Accompany me in my desire to remain humble and meek of heart so that you may become the master of my life. Amen. 

Follow this prayer by one "Our Father," one "Hail Mary," and the daily prayer of Mother Teresa, which can be accessed by clicking on "Pray" below.

Today's little resolution: I will stop three times during the day, in my daily turmoil, to silence my heart and think about God. 

Artwork: Trinity of Mother Teresa, by MF Husain.