Wednesday, June 17th, 2020

“But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” Saint Augustine explains that this is an important manner of response when we are going through a painful time. As he says: “Here we are taught that when in tribulation we are not to be thinking what reply we can make to such as trouble us, but how we can, by prayer, best secure God’s mercy; especially how we may overcome temptation; also how we are to bring about the conversion of even our persecutors. For when in tribulation there is nothing more important than that we should get away from all external disturbance and shut ourselves up in the secret places of our soul, there to call on God where no one sees us lamenting nor Him helping us. We have to shut the door to all vexations from without, we have to humble ourselves by confessing our sins and by praising and magnifying God both when He corrects us and when He consoles us.”