{"id":23502,"date":"2016-03-17T02:29:49","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T08:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=23502"},"modified":"2017-04-27T19:41:53","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T23:41:53","slug":"praying-heavenward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/","title":{"rendered":"Praying Heavenward","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"CENTER\">LENTEN RETREAT<br \/>\n Day 32<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-23507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\" alt=\"Sunset Hot Air Balloon2\" width=\"470\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg 919w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2-300x261.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2-768x669.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong>THE <\/strong>beginning of prayer is <em>desire<\/em>, desire to love God, who has loved us first. Desire is the &#8220;pilot light&#8221; which keeps the burner of prayer lit, always ready to mingle with the &#8220;propane&#8221; of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who then ignites, animates, and fills our hearts with grace, enabling us to begin the ascent, along the Way of Jesus, to union with the Father. (And by the way, when I say &#8220;union with God&#8221;, what I mean is a real\u00a0and actual union of wills, desires, and love such that God lives totally and freely in you, and you in Him). And so, if you have stayed with me this long in this Lenten Retreat, I have no doubt that the pilot light of your heart is lit and ready to burst into flame!<\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">What I want to speak of now is not a method of prayer, but what is foundational to any spirituality, because it corresponds with our human nature: body, soul, and spirit. That is, prayer must engage at various times our senses, imagination, intellect, reason, and will. It involves our conscious decision to know and <em>&#8220;love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.&#8221;<\/em> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Mark 12:30<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: small;\">We are body and spirit, and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally. We must pray with\u00a0our whole being to give all power\u00a0possible to our supplication<\/span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2014<em>Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), <\/em>n. 2702<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Therefore,<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: small;\">Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> \u2014<em>CCC<\/em>, <em>n. 2699<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>These three expressions of <em>speaking<\/em> to God, <em>thinking<\/em> of God, and <em>looking<\/em> at God\u00a0all\u00a0work toward igniting, increasing, and intensifying the flames of prayer\u00a0in order to fill the &#8220;balloon&#8221;\u2014the heart\u2014with God&#8217;s love.<\/p>\n<p><u><br \/>\n Speaking to God<\/u><\/p>\n<p>If you think of a young couple falling in love, whenever they meet, they exchange affectionate <em>words<\/em>.\u00a0In vocal prayer, we speak to God. We begin to tell Him how beautiful He is\u00a0(which is called praise); we are thankful that He is meeting us and blessing us (thanksgiving); and then we begin to open our heart to Him, sharing our concerns and His (intercession).<\/p>\n<p>Vocal prayer is what &#8220;ignites&#8221; the burner of the heart, whether it is the prayer of the Liturgy, the recitation of the Rosary, or simply saying out loud the name of &#8220;Jesus.&#8221; Even Our Lord prayed aloud, and taught us to say the <em>Our Father. <\/em>And so&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';\">Even interior prayer&#8230; cannot neglect vocal prayer. Prayer is internalized to the extent that we become aware of him &#8220;to whom we speak;&#8221; thus vocal prayer becomes an initial form of contemplative prayer.<\/span><\/strong> \u2014<em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2704<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But before we look at what contemplative prayer is, let&#8217;s examine what is called &#8220;mental prayer&#8221; or meditation, that is <em>thinking <\/em>of God.<\/p>\n<p><u><br \/>\n Thinking of God<\/u><\/p>\n<p>When a couple really starts to fall in love, they begin to think about one another all the time. In prayer, this <em>thinking<\/em> is called meditation.\u00a0In vocal prayer, I speak to God; in the Scriptures, or other spiritual texts, God speaks to me. That means that I begin to read and listen to what God is saying to my heart\u00a0(<em>lectio divina<\/em>). It means that prayer ceases to be a <em>race<\/em> to finish it, but now a <em>rest <\/em>in it. I rest in God by letting the transforming power of His living Word pierce my heart, illuminate my mind, and feed my spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, earlier in the Retreat, I spoke about the &#8220;inner man&#8221;, as St. Paul calls it; this interior life in Christ that needs to be fed and nurtured so as to grow in\u00a0maturity. For Jesus said,<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In order for their to be enough &#8220;flame&#8221; to fill a hot air balloon, you have to turn up the propane. Meditation is like that; you are welcoming the Holy Spirit\u00a0to enter your heart, teach you, and lead you into the truth, which will set you free. And thus, as the Catechism says, &#8220;Meditation is\u00a0a quest.&#8221; <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2705<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> It is how you begin to be <em>&#8220;transformed by the renewal of your mind.&#8221;<\/em> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Rom 12:2<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';\">To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: &#8220;Lord, what do you want me to do?&#8221; <\/span><\/strong>\u2014<em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2706<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Seek in reading and you will find in meditating; knock in mental prayer and it will be opened to you by contemplation. <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2014Guigo the Carthusian, <em>Scala Paradisi<\/em>: PL 40,998<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><u><br \/>\n Looking at God<\/u><\/p>\n<p>When a couple has come to know each other by talking, listening and spending time together, words are then often replaced by &#8220;silent love&#8221;, by a simple yet intense gaze into the other&#8217;s eyes.\u00a0It is a look which seems, as it were, to fuse their hearts together.<\/p>\n<p>In prayer, this is what is called <em>contemplation<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';\">Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. &#8220;I look at him and he looks at me&#8221;&#8230; <\/span><\/strong>\u2014<em>CCC, <\/em>2715<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And this look of Jesus is what <em>transforms<\/em> us interiorly\u2014as it transformed Moses exteriorly.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">Whenever Moses entered the presence of the Lord to speak with him, he removed the veil [from his face] until he came out again&#8230; Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses\u2019 face was radiant. (Exodus 34:34-35)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Just as Moses did nothing to merit this radiance, so too in the New Covenant relationship with God, contemplation &#8220;is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty.&#8221; <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_4');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_23502_1('footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_4');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[4]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_4\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\"><em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2713<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_23502_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> Because&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000066; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';\">Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, &#8220;to his likeness.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong> \u2014<em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2713<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In contemplation, the &#8220;propane&#8221; valve is wide open; the flame of love is burning high and bright, and the heart begins to expand beyond its limited human capacity as it is fused with God&#8217;s heart, thereby lifting the soul into the stratosphere where it finds union with Him.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>SUMMARY AND SCRIPTURE<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Vocal, meditative, and contemplative prayer purify and prepare us to see Him face to face, now, and in eternity. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, mono; font-size: small;\">All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:18)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-23506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/air-burner.jpg\" alt=\"air-burner\" width=\"168\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/air-burner.jpg 469w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/air-burner-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 168px) 100vw, 168px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<br \/>\n <em>Thanks for your support and prayers!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/store.markmallett.com\/donate\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Donateovalbtnonbeige.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"48\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">To join Mark in this Lenten Retreat,<em><br \/>\n <\/em>click on the banner below to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\">subscribe<\/a>. <br \/>\n Your email will not be shared with anyone.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-22766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/mark-rosary-Main-banner.jpg\" alt=\"mark-rosary Main banner\" width=\"408\" height=\"270\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: impact, sans-serif;\">Listen to the podcast of today&#8217;s reflection:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_47\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-23502-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Praying-Heavenward.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Praying-Heavenward.mp3\">https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Praying-Heavenward.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Praying-Heavenward.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?powerpress_pinw=23502-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Praying-Heavenward.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Praying-Heavenward.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_23502_1();\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_23502_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_23502_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_23502_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_23502_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_1');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Mark 12:30<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_23502_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_2');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2705<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_23502_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_3');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Rom 12:2<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_23502_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_23502_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_23502_1_4');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>4<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\"><em>CCC, <\/em>n. 2713<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_23502_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_23502_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_23502_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_23502_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_23502_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_23502_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_23502_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_23502_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_23502_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_23502_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_23502_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_23502_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_23502_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_23502_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LENTEN RETREAT Day 32 \u00a0 THE beginning of prayer is desire, desire to love God, who has loved us first. Desire is the &#8220;pilot light&#8221; which keeps the burner of prayer lit, always ready to mingle with the &#8220;propane&#8221; of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who then ignites, animates, and fills our hearts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1280],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-journal","category-lent-retreat"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Praying Heavenward - The Now Word<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Praying Heavenward - The Now Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LENTEN RETREAT Day 32 \u00a0 THE beginning of prayer is desire, desire to love God, who has loved us first. Desire is the &#8220;pilot light&#8221; which keeps the burner of prayer lit, always ready to mingle with the &#8220;propane&#8221; of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who then ignites, animates, and fills our hearts [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Now Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a\"},\"headline\":\"Praying Heavenward\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1144,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"HOME\",\"LENTEN RETREAT\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/\",\"name\":\"Praying Heavenward - The Now Word\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg\",\"width\":919,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/praying-heavenward\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Praying Heavenward\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Now Word\",\"description\":\"\u2014 With Mark Mallett \u2014\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a\",\"name\":\"Mark\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/08\\\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/08\\\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/08\\\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mark\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.markmallett.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/08\\\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Praying Heavenward - The Now Word","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Praying Heavenward - The Now Word","og_description":"LENTEN RETREAT Day 32 \u00a0 THE beginning of prayer is desire, desire to love God, who has loved us first. Desire is the &#8220;pilot light&#8221; which keeps the burner of prayer lit, always ready to mingle with the &#8220;propane&#8221; of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who then ignites, animates, and fills our hearts [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/","og_site_name":"The Now Word","article_published_time":"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Mark","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a"},"headline":"Praying Heavenward","datePublished":"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/"},"wordCount":1144,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg","articleSection":["HOME","LENTEN RETREAT"],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/","url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/","name":"Praying Heavenward - The Now Word","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg","datePublished":"2016-03-17T08:29:49+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-27T23:41:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Sunset-Hot-Air-Balloon2.jpg","width":919,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/praying-heavenward\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Praying Heavenward"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/","name":"The Now Word","description":"\u2014 With Mark Mallett \u2014","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/000af5cf476f9c725d5bc45f722aa99a","name":"Mark","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mark"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/cropped-hurricaneearth_Fotor2.jpg"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23502"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29857,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23502\/revisions\/29857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}