LIFE AT NAZARETH
4. Prayer in Common.
Not only Mary but all the others who dwelt in Nazareth used to pray both in private and in common. What a sublime sight that of the Holy Family at prayer! How pleased God is with prayers said in the home, with family prayer, with prayer said together. Jesus Himself, after having practiced it in Nazareth, later taught it to His disciples, advising them: "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." {Matt. 18:20}
Man is by nature sociable. He needs company. He must live in a family, in a society. Whatever his achievements, they must be done with the cooperation of others. Why should we through prayer not sanctify this life of society? If you have friends with whom you deal, with whom you talk, why not help one another to join God? If union is strength, if united we stand, if man joins other men in order to achieve any purpose, if single-handed we can do little, if divided we fall, why should we not follow the same lines in the matters of the spirit? See how the Church promotes prayer and spiritual life in common. Religious congregations are just an application of this same principle. Try to follow these lines and spread prayer and spiritual life in the family, in the circle of your friends, in the society around you.
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
4. Prayer in Common.
Not only Mary but all the others who dwelt in Nazareth used to pray both in private and in common. What a sublime sight that of the Holy Family at prayer! How pleased God is with prayers said in the home, with family prayer, with prayer said together. Jesus Himself, after having practiced it in Nazareth, later taught it to His disciples, advising them: "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." {Matt. 18:20}
Man is by nature sociable. He needs company. He must live in a family, in a society. Whatever his achievements, they must be done with the cooperation of others. Why should we through prayer not sanctify this life of society? If you have friends with whom you deal, with whom you talk, why not help one another to join God? If union is strength, if united we stand, if man joins other men in order to achieve any purpose, if single-handed we can do little, if divided we fall, why should we not follow the same lines in the matters of the spirit? See how the Church promotes prayer and spiritual life in common. Religious congregations are just an application of this same principle. Try to follow these lines and spread prayer and spiritual life in the family, in the circle of your friends, in the society around you.
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
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