Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Padre Pio

Today, the Good Looking One, laid up with a sore back, watched one of her Padre Pio movies.

I was in and out of the living room, but I also watched part of it.

It hit me how many times the movie depicts him as praying. What I know of his life is that he did indeed spent hours in prayer. So did Pope John Paul II, and St. Francis, and so many other saints.

And then I thought of how much time I waste playing games on the computer, or in arguing with people on sites like Facebook. There's nothing wrong with games (at least the kinds of games I play!), or with defending the faith or the unborn, but I spend too much time on such games and, to be honest, arguing in less than charitable ways - time that could be spent on prayer or spiritual reading.

To my credit, I did some reading for school, and of a biography of St. Francis. I did get to Mass this morning, and said a rosary while walking the dog. But if I am to truly grow spiritually I need to work on my prayer life.

Pax et bonum

1 comment:

Do Not Be Anxious said...

When I was in Medjugorje one of the supposed messages of the Virgin was that we don't pray enough, and we should spend 4 hours a day in prayer! Needless to say, that was almost harder to believe than that there were truly apparitions occurring there. But over time I never forgot that message.

I think I understand it now. With my morning and evening readings, mass, and a new disposition (for me) that He is always with me, I found that I can (and do!) speak to Him throughout the day, a lot. If, as I pray with St. Paul, that "It is not I but Christ who lives within me," then I must act like I believe that, and often compare my thoughts or inclinations not with: "What will people say?" but with WWJD? And often I find myself asking Him! And what is prayer if not having Him foremost in my mind throughout the day?