St. John Damascene tells us that prayer is "the raising of one's mind and heart to God." As the saints have shown us, there are countless ways to do this. However, the concept of prayer can sometimes feel elusive, especially if you've never had a regular practice or have fallen out of one. In his works, Jacques Philippe aims to make prayer simple and approachable, while also emphasizing the profound and transformative spiritual benefits it brings to those who commit to it.
With over one million copies sold in 24 languages, Jacques Philippe’s books on prayer, interior freedom, and peace of heart have become essential reads for modern Catholic spirituality. If you're interested in exploring Philippe's teachings but aren’t sure where to start, here are six quotes from him on prayer that can inspire you to begin or deepen your prayer life.
- “The more God is at the center of our lives, and the more we expect everything from him and him alone, the better chance our human relationships will have of being well-balanced and happy.” Jacques Philippe, Thirsting for Prayer
- “Observe this beautiful fact: By bringing us into communion with God, prayer makes us share in God’s creativity. Contemplation nourishes our creative faculties and our inventiveness, particularly in the realm of beauty. Contemporary art is cruelly lacking in inspiration and very often produces nothing but painful ugliness, when people are so thirsty for beauty. Only a renewal of faith and prayer will enable artists to rediscover the sources of true creativity, so that they will once again be able to provide people with the beauty they so badly need, as was done by Fra Angelico, Rembrandt, or Johann Sebastian Bach. 5.” Thirsting for Prayer
- “Here is a point worth underlining: Mental prayer should not be treated as something exceptional, done at a time snatched with difficulty from other activities, but should become a habit, part of the normal rhythm of our lives, so that its place is never questioned, even for a single day. This will foster fidelity to mental prayer, which is essential. Life is shaped by rhythms: the rhythm of heartbeat and breathing, the rhythm of day and night, of meals, of weeks, and so on. Mental prayer should become a daily event as vital to us as the basic rhythms of existence. It should become the breathing of our souls.” Time for God
- “Time spent faithfully persevering every day, even if poor quality-distracted prayer … will be infinitely more fruitful than the occasional long spells of prayer.” Time for God
- “When a person is faithful to his or her times of prayer, day after day, week after week, it’s like someone with a well in the garden that’s choked with rubbish—branches, leaves, stones, mud—but underneath is water, clean and pure. In spending time in prayer, you’re setting to work patiently to unblock the well. What comes up at the start is the mud and dirt: our wretchedness, worries, fears, guilt, self-blame—the things we normally avoid. Plenty of people run away from themselves. There’s a real fear of silence today! But those who have the courage to go forward into the desert end up finding an oasis.” The Way of Trust and Love
- “The God we come to know in prayer is the personal God, the living and true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; the God who speaks to the heart, as Pascal expressed it.” Thirsting for Prayer
If you enjoyed these quotes, check out Fr. Jacques Philippe’s latest collaboration with Sr. Anne of Jesus titled, Prayer: Oxygen for the Soul. This book offers profound spiritual wisdom and practical strategies, helping you awaken a thirst for God and persevere in your prayer no matter what.
And don't forget to shop our Jacques Philippe Sale! Use code JACQUES24 to get 20% all his titles. Sale ends 10/24/2024.
