A few weeks ago, a "cloistered brother" asked what do you expect to happen, when you pray? This book, Thirsting for Prayer by Jacques Philippe, has the answer. It's a small book, only 152 pages. It is divided into four parts. They all address how to pray. The introduction, however, answers my brother's question.
When we pray, we expect our prayer to yield fruit. The problem is, we want the kind of fruit we want. If we are serious about prayer, we will encounter a relationship with God. Our conversation will yield answers. At the least, the supplicant will feel the strength and peace they need for their lives to bear fruit, as God desires, and they will understand that.
I did a lot of underlining in this book. It contains some gems.
In prayer the soul is purified from sin, charity is nurtured, faith takes root, hope is strengthened,
the spirit gladdened. In prayer the soul melts into tenderness, the heart is purified, the truth reveals
itself, temptation is overcome, sadness is put to flight. In prayer, the senses are renewed, lukewarmness vanishes, failing virtue is reinvigorated, the rust of vices is scoured away; and in the exchange,
there come forth living sparks, blazing desires of heaven, in which the flame of divine love burns.
That's what we expect to happen!
