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BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Mother Cecilia Hritz of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery came back to the parish in which she was raised, St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Parish, to lead an afternoon of reflection March 31.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, which sponsored the event, donated items to provide lunch for more than 60 people; the parish teens provided childcare for about eight children.
Mother Cecilia began her presentation, “Who, me? Contemplative Prayer,” by explaining the ultimate goal of prayer as “entering into the unity of the Trinity, which will be completed when we enter heaven, but can be started now.”
She shared many beautiful passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Scripture, and explained a few of the pitfalls that some people might fall into.
“You don’t have to be in a monastery or wait until you think you are good enough. God loves you just as you are right now,” she emphasized. “Prayer is a lifelong process and prayer is the relationship we have with God.”
One pitfall a person could fall into is thinking of coming to church as a refill because one is spent from the week’s activities, much like going to a gas station to fill a gas tank. A better way would be to continually let one’s heart be open and filled with prayer and God’s love, she said. She gave the analogy of a bucket full of water. When more water is added into the full bucket, it will overflow. When people are living with a heart full of love, then what overflows is God’s love given to others, and his love is more powerful.
“Contemplative prayer is the simplest form of prayer,” she said. “It’s the gift of being with God. He does the work and our job is to be receptive.”
The Holy Spirit received at baptism and chrismation always remains with a person even if he or she doesn’t realize it. It’s like the pilot light on a gas stove, she said. It’s always on, it just needs something to stir up the flame.
She gave some tips for helping with contemplative prayer. They include setting aside time, creating a special place, making the Sign of the Cross, asking the Holy Spirit for help, being aware of God’s loving gaze on oneself, silencing one’s exterior and interior, giving thanks, speaking honestly, and remembering to listen.
Waiting in prayer increases a person’s longing to seek God and stretches people’s hearts, she added.
Participants also had the opportunity to receive the sacrament of confession and to watch a short video.
Caption: Mother Cecilia Hritz, left, a nun of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, returned to her home parish March 31 to give a Lenten reflection on contemplative prayer. She is photographed with the hegoumena of the monastery, Mother Theodora Strohmeyer. (Photo: http://www.christthebridegroom.org)
As published in Horizons, April 21, 2019.
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