In his book THE ROAD TO DAYBREAK, Fr. Henri Nouwen writes about his own struggles at prayer . . . struggles that we can all relate to:
“My prayer life has been quite difficult lately. During my morning meditation, I think about a thousand things except God and God’s presence in my life. I am worrying, brooding and agonizing, but not really praying.”
“To my own surprise the only prayer that offers me some peace and consolation is when I think of Mary. As I tried to simply be with Mary and listen to her words, I discover a restful peace. Instead of thinking about these words and trying to understand them, I just listened to them being spoken for me.”
“Mary is so open, so free, so trusting. She is completely willing to hear words that go far beyond her own comprehension. She knows that the words spoken to her by the angel come from God. She seeks clarification, but she does not question their authority. She senses that the message of Gabriel will radically interrupt her life, and she is afraid, but she does not withdraw. She responded with a complete surrender and thus became not only the mother of Jesus but also the mother of all who believe in him.”
“I keep listening to these words as words that summarize the deepest possible response to God’s loving reaction within us. God wants to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives, but are we prepared to let it happen? Just being with Mary and the angel and hearing their words – words which changed the course of history – bring me peace and trust. “