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source: Christ. Indeed in the Christian life there
are several well— springs where Christ awaits us to
enable us to drink of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God 2653 The Church ‘forcefully and specially
exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn
“the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ” 133
(Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures...
Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the
reading f sacred Scripture, so that a
dialogue takes place between God and
an. For “we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him
when iioo e read the divine
oracles.” ‘~ ~óS4
The spiritual writers, paraphrasing Matthew 7:7,
summarize ~in this way the dispositions of the heart
nourished by the Word of ~od in prayer: ‘Seek in
reading and you will find in meditating;
ock in mental prayer and it will be opened to you by
conemplation.’5 he liturgy of
the Church 2655 In the sacramental liturgy of the Church, the
mission of 1073 Christ and of the Holy Spirit proclaims,
makes present and communicates the mystery of salvation,
which is continued in the heart that prays. The spiritual
writers sometimes compare the heart to an altar. Prayer
internalizes and assimilates the liturgy during and after
its celebration. Even when it is lived out ‘in
secret’,6 prayer is ~iways prayer of the Church;
it is a communion with the Holy ~rrinity .~
6~6 One enters into prayer as one enters
into the liturgy: by the 368 arrow gate of faith.
Through the signs of his presence, it is the ace of the
Lord that we seek and desire; it is his Word that we ant to
hear and keep. 657 The Holy Spirit,
who instructs us to celebrate the liturgy in xpectation of
Christ’s return, teaches us to pray in hope.
Conersely, the prayer of the Church and personal prayer
nourish ope in us. The Psalms especially, with their
concrete and varied guage, teach us to
fix our hope in God: ‘I waited patiently for e LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.’8 As St Paul
prayed:
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