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Question

Dear Father Angelo,
Is a daily conversation with God really possible?
Perhaps you know about that popular book, or rather series of books under  a similar title, written by an American author.
Of course, recalling Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus invites us to pray in the secret of our inner room and assures us as well that your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
How can we identify these rewards?
What advice can you give me, Father Angelo, on how to let myself enter in  the secret of my inner room?
Thank you for  any enlightenments  on this topic.
MD

Priest’s answer

Dear MD,
1. First of all, we should recall that, in Jesus’ times, the Pharisees had certain times during the day when they would pray, so wherever they found themselves, they would stop, turn towards Jerusalem and pray.
Therefore, it was common to see them praying in the squares or at the crossroads.
Usually, they would pray standing up. But praying while kneeling was an option.
By doing so, they presented themselves in front of everyone as observant and religious.

2. Jesus, instead, who also prays in public and publicly observes the religious precepts, wants to exclude from prayer (and likewise from fasting and giving alms) the temptation of vainglory and  showing off.

3. I like to recall a commentary about this teaching of the Lord by Saint Cyprian: “the Lord has bidden us to pray in secret, in hidden and remote places, in our very bed-chambers, which is best suited to faith ,that we might know  that God is everywhere present, that He hears and sees all, and by the plenitude of His majesty penetrates also in hidden and secret places.”
We may also understand by the door of the chamber, the mouth of the body; so that we should not pray to God with a loud voice, but with a silent heart, for three reasons:
first, because God is not to be gained by vehement crying, but by a right conscience, seeing He is a hearer of the heart;
secondly, because none but thyself and God should be privy to your secret prayers;
thirdly, because if you pray aloud, you hinder others from praying near you.

 (De oratione dominica, 4).

4. Some people, like Saint John Cassian, interpret this by suggesting that we should observe close silence in our prayers, that our enemies, who are ever most watchful to ensnare us at that time, may not know the purport of our petition (Collationes, 9,35).

5. Saint Cyprian also adds that praying in silence means that while we are praying we should not  attend to anything else, as if there were something more important than speaking with God.
It’s true that, oftentimes, we pray while driving or walking. And it is a good thing because, overall, it’s like being in the company of Our Lord and Our Lady.
However, our prayer can’t be done exclusively in that way because it doesn’t allow us the  necessary recollection to give ourselves to God in order  to hear His voice only and to give Him our hearts in their entirety.

6. “He will repay you”, meaning “He said not shall freely give thee, but, shall reward thee; thus He constitutes Himself your debtor.”
This is Saint John Chrysostom’s beautiful interpretation (Commentary to the Gospel of Matthew 6,6).

7. About the first Dominicans we read that they loved the orationes secretae (secret prayers). They were certain, just like the Holy Father Dominic, that God would make Himself their debtor.

I wish all of this to you as well.
I remind you to the Lord and bless you.
Father Angelo