If we made a list of everything that we really need in
order to stay alive spiritually, what would it include? Some people would say they needed to attend church 
-- others might not. Some would say they need to belong to an organized community of faith. Others would not. And so on.

But there is one essential element that every truly
spiritual person needs. And that element is prayer. In prayer we expose ourselves as we are. We strip off any false fronts and stand naked before God. There
is absolutely no place for pretence when we come
before God in prayer. What would be the point of
entering into a heart to heart conversation with someone, only to hide an important part of our lives?

How could we possibly hide from God - the one who
creates and loves us? And so when we pray, we must pray with complete and total honesty, admitting our weaknesses and our deepest needs. When we open ourselves up in that way,

 then we make ourselves capable of receiving the strength and help that only God can bring to us. During Advent, paying attention to our prayer may be the most effective preparation of all as we wait to celebrate Jesus' presence among us. Prayer is the one thing necessary if we want to meet Christ. We meet Christ in prayer, and prayer prepares us to meet Christ in one another.

Prayer also presumes and demands that we turn our words of prayer into deeds of love. We are called to live our lives as Christ who was sent to "bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners".

May we use this time of waiting to deepen our prayer life, and so come to recognize the presence of Christ, who comes to us in so many different disguises.

                                              Peace,  Fr. John