A life of prayer is not an exercise in spiritual athleticism. We do not go down into prayer everyday just to prove to ourselves that we can do it. We go down into prayer in order to become both more humble before the God who made us and more confident that the God who made us will sustain us in our limitations. We go down into prayer to become like the One whose life lives in us.
—Joan Chittister
The purpose of prayer is not prayer. The purpose of prayer is to come to love God as much as possible with all the insights into the nature and presence of God this world allows.
—Joan Chittister
“What action shall I perform to attain God?” the seeker asked.
“To attain God,” the elder replied, “there are two things you must know. The first is that all efforts to attain God are of no avail.”
“And the second?” the seeker asked.
“You must act as if you did not know the first,” the elder said.
—Anthony D Mello
