St. John of the Cross writes that our human hearts have infinite caverns that only an infinite God can fulfill. As we learned that only God can fill our lives with true meaning, so can he fill our hearts with true love, both for himself and for others.

When we spend time with God in prayer, we allow him to fill these caverns, to take the place of stress and worry in our day-to-day lives. By slowing down, and taking the time to pray, we let Jesus give us his divine peace.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Jesus wants to refresh us, using the most basic aspects of ritualistic prayer—the mass, reconciliation, Eucharistic adoration, lectio-divina, the mysteries of the Rosary, the divine mercy chaplet, Stations of the Cross, and other pious devotions. These sacraments and prayerful activities allow us to rest in the merciful Lord.

In communion with Christ, we receive his divine spirit. “Behold, I will stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Christ wants us to be one in him, but we must open the doors of our hearts to him, and invite him into our lives. Only when we spend time with him in prayer will we be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Silence is an important component of prayer. We can offer petitions and thanksgiving, but we must also listen for the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit in the silence of our hearts. The Prophet Elijah teaches us that God speaks to his disciples softly: “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:11, 12). The Lord is in that gentle whisper, quiet but strong in the chaos of our lives.

We want to learn to rest with the Lord every day, so that we can hear where his gentle voice is leading us! Explore all the pages within this section, Sacraments, The Mass, Prayer, Mary & the Saints, and join us daily as we all learn to listen to his message in our hearts.