With God in America by Walter J. Ciszek

Author:Walter J. Ciszek [Ciszek, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL010000, RELIGION / Christianity/Catholic, REL012040, RELIGION / Christian Life/Inspirational, REL012000, RELIGION / Christian Life/General
ISBN: 9780829444544
Publisher: Loyola Press
Published: 2016-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

20

Prayer

In helping souls, probably the most oft-asked and sought-for advice was on how to pray. One correspondent who asked this advice of Father Ciszek was a young girl, Mary, who was sixteen when she began writing to him in 1966. Moved by his story in With God in Russia, Mary wrote to Father often, asking how she could grow closer to Christ. As seen by this selection, he not only gave her sound advice but was also concerned for this young girl in her desire for holiness—tenderly helping her avoid extremes in the spiritual life.

Letter Written July 10, 1966

Dear Mary, P.C.

I know you are waiting for an answer to your three letters, written July 4, 5 and 6. Writing to you thus far, and receiving your letters, gave me a good insight into your character. Though your letters are something I expect from you and appreciate more and more with time, yet answers to them—at this stage—will take on a character of normal correspondence rather than the necessary urgent type of answer required before. Why this attitude? It is clear to me—and should be clear to you by now—that in this spiritual matter of soul perfection progress has been attained by you, so important for sanctification. These initial steps, basic and fundamental, must be passed through by everyone and consciously recorded as such, for further progress. No matter what your feelings or desires may prove to you, we must center our attention on the truth in itself. I will continue to answer your letters as I go along—and emphasize some of the thoughts you expressed in them that attracted my attention.

In the beginning of your first letter (July 4th), you mentioned that certain things I wrote to you in my two last letters amazed, angered or puzzled you. The question at stake is the vow of chastity you desired to make after consulting me. I answered and denied you permission. You did not particularly care for my answer but accepted it as a manifestation of God’s will towards you.

I wrote back to you and said that even if you accept my decisions as coming from a person used by God as his instrument, yet the acceptance of God’s will in this case should be a perfectly free act of yours, independent of the instrument. What I’m trying to make you realize is that the spiritual things discussed in our letters—better, your sincere desire to be a saint—are strictly personal matters between you and God. I know my role in this delicate matter of the supernatural. I lead you—or rather try to lead you—with all my powers and interior experiences, to the threshold of God and leave you there, that you may communicate directly with him, making the final step yourself [and, therefore,] so significant of a full, free act of the will. Here, in the closeness of a soul seeking God and finding him, your decisions made—inspired by the grace of God and his divine life by which you will

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