Nothing against Blondes, I'm even Blonde myself.

   But I still like that one "Blonde Joke": She went for a haircut and was forced to lay aside her headphones... When the barber realized she was turning blue in the face, the Blonde girl pointed desperately back to the earphones. The barber picked them up and listened attentively:

   "Breathe in! ... Breathe out! ... Breathe in! ... Breathe out!"

   St. Gregory of Nazianzus once said: "We must remember God more often than we draw breath."

   Prayer is first and foremost, as the Catechism reminds us "a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart." 2697

   This means in prayer we should place God first, by calling to mind all those wonderful things that he IS and that he has DONE for us. Especially those moments that have touched, not only our lives, but our inmost being. Those things which have moved our hearts.

   It might help you to make a list! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, maybe it would be a good idea to go back to the basics, by drawing up a concrete list of all those things God has blessed you with.

   In short, prayer is about the heart: based on knowledge of what God has done and continues to do for you, it will be easier to respond by following his laws and by the desire to remain in his presence in everything you do.

   Prayer always begins by REMINDING us of God's goodness - But, unlike life-saving headphones, God's presence should be more important to us than the air we breathe.

Fr. Nathan is editor of www.formationtoolbox.com

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