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we are not vigilant. For example, some
would have it that only that is true which can be verified
by reason and science; yet prayer is a
mystery that overflows both our conscious and unconscious
lives. Others overly prize production and profit; thus
prayer, being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt
sensuality and
whereas prayer, the love of
beauty (philokalia) , is caught up in the glory
of the living and true God. Finally, some see prayer as a
flight from the world in reaction against activism; but in
fact, e is neither an escape from reality nor a divorce
from life. 2728 Finally, our battle
has to confront what we experience as failure in prayer:
discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that,
because we have great possessions,5 we
have not given all to the Lord; disappointment over not
being heard according to our own will; wounded pride,
stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our
resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited
gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same:
what good does it do to pray? To overcome these
obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust and
perseverance.
Facing difficulties in prayer 2729 The habitual difficulty in prayer is
distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in
vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom
we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or
personal), meditation and contemplative prayer. To set about
hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap,
tion reveals to us what we are attached to,
and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our
preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer
him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the
choice of which master to serve.6
2730 In positive terms, the battle against the
possessive and dominating self requires vigilance,
sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists on vigilance, he
always relates it to himself, to his coming on
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