nl-Chapter 17 – The New Way of Worshiping God
The Development of Forms of Worship
1. How slowly humanity is moving toward the perfection of its worship of God!
2. Whenever I come to you with a new lesson, it seems to you to be far too advanced for your stage of development. But understand that I am providing you with an age so that, while it lasts, you may grasp it and incorporate it into your lives. (99, 30-31)
3. The animal sacrifices you offered on the altar of Jehovah were accepted by Him. Yet it was not the best way to lift your spirit up to the Lord. Then I came to you as Jesus to teach you the divine commandment that tells you: Love one another.
4. Now I tell you that the teachings I revealed to you in the "Second Era" through the works of Jesus have at times been altered and at other times misinterpreted. That is why I have come, as I announced to you, to shed light on My truth. My sacrifice at that time put an end to many animal sacrifices, and I taught you a more perfect way to worship God.
5. My new revelation in this age will cause humanity to understand that you must not use symbolic forms of worship without first interpreting their meaning, since they are merely a symbolic representation of My teachings. (74, 28)
6. Prayer is the spiritual means I have inspired in humanity to converse with My Divinity. Therefore, from the very beginning, it manifested itself in you as a longing, as a need of the soul, as a refuge in times of trial.
7. Whoever does not know true prayer does not know the blessings it brings, does not know the source of health and benefits contained within it. He does indeed feel the impulse to draw near to Me, to speak with Me, and to bring his concerns before Me; but since he lacks spirituality, the offering of merely lifting up his thoughts seems so meager to him that he immediately looks for something material to present to Me, because he believes that he thus pays Me better homage.
8. In this way, people have fallen into idolatry, fanaticism, rituals, and external cults, thereby suffocating their souls and robbing them of that blessed freedom to pray directly to their Father. Only when the pain is very intense, when the agony reaches the limits of human strength, does the soul free itself, forget formalities, and overthrow its idols in order to rise up and cry out from the depths of its heart: "My Father, my God!"
9. Do you see how the peoples in this age of materialism are busy waging war against one another? Yet I tell you that many people there, in the midst of those war-torn events, have discovered the secret of prayer—that prayer which springs from the heart and reaches Me as an urgent cry for help, as a lament, as a supplication.
10. When they then experienced the miracle they had asked for on their journey, they knew that there is no other way to speak with God except in the language of the soul. (261, 22-24, 27)
Superficial prayers without devotion and faith
11. O My children of all creeds, do not stifle the noblest feelings of the soul, nor try to appease them with external customs and rituals.
12. Behold: When a mother has nothing material to offer her beloved little child, she presses it to her heart, blesses it with all her love, covers it with kisses, gazes at it lovingly, bathes it in her tears; yet she never tries to deceive it with empty gestures of love.
13. How do you come to think that I, the Divine Master, approve of your contenting yourselves with ritual acts devoid of any spiritual value, truth, or love—acts with which you try to deceive your soul by making it believe it has been nourished, when in reality it is becoming ever more ignorant of the truth? (21, 20-21)
14. Prayer is a grace that God has given to humanity so that it may serve as a ladder for them to ascend (spiritually), as a weapon to defend themselves, as a book to instruct themselves, and as a balm to heal themselves and recover from every illness.
15. True prayer has vanished from the earth; people no longer pray, and when they try to do so, they speak to Me with their lips instead of with their souls, using empty words, rituals, and pretense. How can people expect to witness miracles when they use forms and practices that Jesus did not teach?
16. It is necessary for true prayer to return among people, and it is I who am teaching it to you anew. (39, 12-14)
17. Teach others to pray; make your fellow human beings understand that it is their spirit that should converse with its Creator, so that they may realize that their prayers are almost always the cry of the body, the expression of fear, the proof of their lack of faith, their rebellion, or their distrust of Me.
18. Make it clear to your fellow human beings that they do not need to mortify or torment their bodies in order to move My Spirit or to arouse My compassion or mercy. Those who impose physical suffering and penance upon themselves do so because they have not the slightest knowledge of what the most pleasing offerings to Me are, nor do they have any conception of My love and the mercy of your Father.
19. Do you think that I need the tears in your eyes and the pain in your hearts to have mercy on you? This would mean attributing harshness, insensitivity, indifference, and selfishness to Me. Can you imagine these faults in the God whom you love?
20. How little effort have you made to get to know Me! The reason for this is that you have not trained your mind to think in harmony with the Spirit. (278, 17-20)
21. Leave the earth behind for a few moments today and come to Me in spirit.
22. For many centuries, people have missed the right way to pray, which is why they have neither been strengthened nor had their life's path illuminated by My love, since they have prayed through their senses and not with their spirit.
23. The idolatry to which man is so prone has been like a poison that has prevented him from enjoying the spiritual joys of inner prayer.
24. How much misery have people carried with them, simply because they did not know how to pray! And this is only natural, disciples. For what spiritual strength can a human being possibly have to withstand life's temptations if they have nothing to draw near to the Source of Life, which exists in My Spirit— ? It seeks Me in the abysses, in the shadows, even though it could rise to find Me on the peaks, in the light.
25. Oh, if only the people of this age understood the power of prayer—how many superhuman deeds would they accomplish! But they are living through an era of materialism in which they even try to materialize the Divine so that they might touch and see it. (282, 61-64)
True Prayer
26. I bless those who pray. The more spiritual their prayer is, the greater is the peace I allow them to feel.
27. You can easily understand this; for whoever, in order to pray, must kneel before images or objects to feel the presence of the Divine will not be able to experience the spiritual sensation of the Father's presence in his heart.
28. "Blessed are those who believe without seeing," I once said, and now I say it again; for whoever closes their eyes to the things of the world opens them to the spiritual, and whoever has faith in My spiritual presence must feel it and rejoice in it.
29. When will the people of the earth cease to deny their spirit the joy of feeling Me in their hearts through direct prayer or—which is the same thing—through prayer from spirit to spirit? Then, when My light illuminates the lives of men, they know the truth, and they understand their errors.
30. Now is the right time to pray and meditate; but with prayers free from fanaticism and idolatry, and with calm and deep reflection on My divine Word.
31. All hours and all places can be suitable for prayer and meditation. Never have I told you in My teachings that there are places or moments specifically designated for this. Why on earth seek out certain places to pray, when your spirit is greater than the world you inhabit? Why confine Me to images and such limited places, when I am infinite?
32. The most serious reason for the spiritual poverty of humanity and their earthly misfortunes is their imperfect way of praying; that is why I tell you that this realization must reach all of humanity. (279, 2-7)
33. You do not always pray with the same inner concentration, which is why you do not always experience the same peace or the same inspiration.
34. There are occasions when you are inspired and your thoughts are lifted up; and there are others when you remain completely apathetic. How then do you intend to receive My messages in the same way every time? You must train your mind and even your body to cooperate with the spirit during moments of prayer.
35. The spirit is always ready to unite with Me; but it requires the body to be in good condition so that in those moments it may rise above and free itself from all that surrounds it in its earthly life.
36. Strive to attain true prayer; for whoever knows how to pray carries within themselves the key to peace, health, hope, spiritual strength, and eternal life.
37. The invisible shield of My Law will protect him from persecution and danger. In his mouth he will carry an invisible sword to strike down all adversaries who stand in his way. A lighthouse will illuminate his path amidst the storms. A miracle will always be within his reach whenever he needs it, whether for himself or for the good of his fellow human beings.
38. Pray, exercise this high gift of the Spirit, for it is this power that will move the lives of the people of the future—those people who, even in the flesh, will achieve the connection of their spirit to My Spirit.
39. Through prayer, fathers will receive the inspiration to guide their children.
40. The sick will receive health through prayer. Rulers will solve their great problems by seeking light in prayer, and the scientist will likewise receive revelations through the gift of prayer. (40, 40–47)
41. Disciple: In the "Second Era," My apostles asked Me how they should pray, and I taught them the perfect prayer, which you call the "Our Father."
42. Now I say to you: Draw inspiration from this prayer, from its meaning, from its humility, and from its faith, so that your spirit may converse with Mine. For it will no longer be the physical lips that speak those blessed words, but the spirit speaking to Me in its own language. (136, 64)
43. Take care that it is not merely your lips that call Me "Father," for many of you tend to do this mechanically. I want that when you say, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name," this prayer comes from the depths of your heart and you meditate on every sentence, so that you may be inspired by it and be in perfect communion with Me.
44. I have taught you the powerful, perfect prayer that truly brings the child closer to the Father. When you utter the word "Father" with fervor and reverence, with exaltation and love, with faith and hope, distances fade away, space vanishes, for in this moment of dialogue from spirit to spirit, neither is God far from you, nor are you far from Him. Pray in this way, and you will receive the blessing of my love in your hearts with open arms. (166, 52-53)
The Four Aspects of Perfect Prayer
45. Strive, strive to attain spiritual perfection. I have shown you the way to reach this goal. I have entrusted prayer to you as the "weapon" superior to any material weapon, to defend you against treachery on the path of life. But you will have the best weapon when you fulfill My law.
46. What does prayer consist of? Prayer is supplication, intercession, worship, and spiritual contemplation. All its parts are necessary, and one flows from the other. For in truth I tell you: Supplication consists in man asking Me to fulfill his wishes, to satisfy his longings—that which he considers most important and beneficial in his life. And truly, I tell you, My children, the Father hears the petition and gives each one what he needs most, whenever it is for his good. But beware of asking for anything that is contrary to the salvation of your soul. For those who ask only for material goods, for physical pleasures and fleeting power, are asking to put their soul in chains.
47. Physical pleasures bring only suffering—not only in this world, but also after the transition to the Spiritual World; for even there the influence of those physical desires can reach; and because the soul cannot free itself from them, it continues to be tormented by those longings and wishes to return to Earth again and again to reincarnate and continue living a material life. Therefore, My children, ask only for what you truly need for the good of your soul.
48. The second kind of prayer, intercession, springs from love for one's neighbor—that love which I taught you as your Master when I came into this world. Pray for your brothers and sisters near and far, for those in various nations who suffer the consequences of war, who endure the tyranny of this world's transient rulers.
49. Prepare yourselves, O my children; pray for your fellow human beings, but even in this intercession you must know how to pray, for what matters is the soul. If a brother, your parents, or your children are ill, pray for them, but do not insist that they remain in this life if that is not what the soul needs. Rather, pray that this soul may be set free, that it may be purified through its sufferings, that the pain may promote the soul's spiritual ascent. That is why the Master has already taught you in the "Second Era": "Father, Thy will be done." For the Father knows better than any of His children what the soul needs.
50. The third kind of prayer, the veneration of the Divine Spirit, signifies the veneration of all that is perfect; for through this kind of prayer you can unite yourselves with the perfection, with the love that encompasses the entire universe. In adoration you can find the state of perfection that you must all attain, and adoration leads you further to spiritual contemplation, which, together with adoration, brings you to union with the Divine Spirit, the Source of Eternal Life—the Source that gives you strength day by day to reach the Kingdom of the Father.
51. Thus shall you pray: beginning with supplication and progressing to spiritual contemplation. This will give you strength.
52. When you are well prepared, you should not only strive for yourselves, but also to help your fellow human beings walk this path. For you cannot attain the salvation of your souls for yourselves alone, but must strive to attain the salvation of all humanity. (358, 10-17)
The Spontaneous Prayer of the Heart Without Words
53. People, here is the voice of the Holy Spirit, God's spiritual manifestation through your intellectual faculties, which reveals to you neither a new law nor a new teaching, but a new, more advanced, more spiritual, and more perfect way to connect with the Father, to receive Him, and to worship Him. (293, 66)
54. How many are there who hear My Word, who have become great interpreters of it, and yet they are not the best disciples of My teaching in action; they do not fulfill the divine commandment that tells you: "Love one another."
55. See, on the other hand, how easily one is transformed who puts even a single atom of My teaching into practice. Do you want an example of this?
56. There was someone who, throughout his entire life, told Me through verbal prayers that he loved Me—prayers formulated by others, which he did not even understand because they consisted of words whose meaning he did not know. But soon he understood what the true way of praying was, and by setting aside his old habits, he concentrated on the innermost part of his soul, sent his thoughts up to God, and for the first time felt His presence.
57. He did not know what to say to his Lord; his chest began to sob and his eyes to shed tears. In his mind, only one sentence formed, which was: "My Father, what can I say to You, since I do not know how to speak to You?"
58. But those tears, those sobs, that inner joy, and even his confusion spoke to the Father in a language so beautiful that you will never be able to find its like in your human languages or in your books.
59. That stammering of the human being who begins to pray spiritually to his Lord resembles the first words of small children, which are a source of joy and delight to their parents, because they hear the first utterances of a being that is beginning to rise to life. (281, 22-24)
60. The more highly developed soul knows that the human word impoverishes and diminishes the expression of spiritual thought. Therefore, it silences the material lips in order to soar upward and, in the language known only to God, to utter the mystery it carries hidden within the innermost depths of its being. (11, 69)
61. How much joy you bring to My Spirit when I see that you lift your thoughts upward in search of your Father. I let you feel My presence and flood you with peace.
62. Seek Me, speak to Me; do not worry that your thoughts are too clumsy to express your request; I will know how to understand them. Speak to Me with the trust with which one speaks to one's Father. Confide your sorrows to Me, as you would to your best friend. Ask Me what you do not know, everything that is unknown to you, and I will speak to you with the words of the Master. But pray that in that blessed moment when your spirit rises to Me, you may receive the light, the strength, the blessing, and the peace that your Father grants you. (36, 15)
63. Tell Me of your sufferings in silence; confide your longings to Me. Although I know everything, I want you to gradually learn to formulate your own prayer until you are ready to engage in the perfect dialogue of your spirit with the Father. (110, 31)
64. Prayer may be long or short, as the need arises. If you so desire, you may spend entire hours in that spiritual bliss, provided your body does not grow weary or no other duty demands your attention. And it may be so brief as to last but a second when you are subjected to some trial that has suddenly overtaken you.
65. It is not the words with which your mind attempts to formulate the prayer that reach Me, but the love, the faith, or the need with which you present yourselves before Me. That is why I tell you that there will be instances in which your prayer lasts only a second, because there will be no time to formulate thoughts, sentences, or ideas as you are accustomed to doing.
66. You can call upon Me anywhere, for to Me the place is irrelevant, since what I seek is your spirit. (40, 36–38)
67. When, in the "Second Era," a woman asked Jesus if Jerusalem was the place where she should worship God, the Master replied to her: "The time is coming when neither Jerusalem nor any other place will be the right place to worship God, for He will be worshiped in spirit and in truth," that is, from spirit to spirit.
68. When my disciples asked Me to teach them to pray, I gave them as an example the prayer you call the "Our Father," thereby making it clear to them that true, perfect prayer is that which, like Jesus' own, comes spontaneously from the heart and rises up to the Father. It should contain obedience, humility, confession of sin, gratitude, faith, hope, and worship. (162, 23-24)
Daily Prayer
69. Beloved disciples: Practice spiritual prayer daily and put all your good will into perfecting yourselves.
70. Consider this: Aside from entering into an intimate communion with your Master and experiencing infinite peace in those moments, it is the best opportunity for you to receive My divine inspirations. In them you will find the explanation for all that you have not understood or have misunderstood. You will find the way to avert any danger, solve a problem, or clear up a confusion. In that hour of blessed spiritual communion, all your senses will be enlightened, and you will feel more ready and inclined to do good. (308, 1)
71. Do not neglect prayer, even if it is so brief that it lasts no longer than five minutes; yet subject yourselves in it to a careful examination by the light of your conscience, so that you may keep track of your actions and know in what areas you need to improve.
72. If, in your elevation through prayer, you should lose all sense of time, it will be a sign of spiritualization, for you will have been able, even if only for a few moments, to step outside of time—that time which the slaves of materialism desire only for their pleasures or for the accumulation of their wealth.
73. Whoever examines themselves daily will improve their way of thinking, living, speaking, and feeling. (12, 30-32)
74. I have taught you that wisdom is attained through prayer; yet for that reason I do not want you to prolong your prayers. I have asked of you a five-minute prayer, and by this I mean that you should pray briefly so that in those moments you may truly devote yourselves to your Father; yet the rest of your time you should devote to your spiritual and material duties toward your fellow human beings. (78, 52)
75. I now teach you a specific way to prepare yourselves so that all your daily works may be inspired by noble sentiments and so that trials and difficulties may neither hinder you nor cause you to retreat: When you open your eyes to the light of a new day, pray, draw near to Me through your thoughts, then make your daily plan, inspired by My light, and now rise to the struggle of life. Resolve to be strong and not to violate obedience and faith for even a single moment.
76. Truly, I tell you, very soon your steadfastness and the results of your works will astonish you. (262, 7-8)
The Day of Rest as a Day of Self-Reflection
77. Even in the "First Age," I taught you to consecrate the seventh day to Me. Since man devoted six days to fulfilling his worldly duties, it was only right and proper that he consecrate at least one day to the service of his Lord. I did not ask him to dedicate the first day to Me, but the last, so that he might rest from his labors on that day and devote himself to spiritual contemplation, thereby giving his soul the opportunity to draw near to its Father and speak with Him through prayer.
78. The day of rest was instituted so that, in forgetting the harsh struggle of earthly life—even if only for a brief moment—man might give his conscience the opportunity to speak to him, to remind him of the Law, and so that he might examine himself, repent of his transgressions, and form noble resolutions of repentance in his heart.
79. The Sabbath was the day formerly dedicated to rest, prayer, and the study of the Law. But in following tradition, the people forgot the brotherly feelings toward their fellow human beings and the spiritual duties they owed to their neighbors.
80. Time passed, humanity developed spiritually, and Christ came to teach you that even on days of rest you should practice active charity and perform all good works.
81. Jesus wanted to tell you that although one day is dedicated to reflection and physical rest, you must understand that neither a day nor an hour could be predetermined for the fulfillment of the Spirit's mission.
82. Although the Master spoke to you with the greatest clarity, people strayed from it, and each chose the day that suited them best. Thus, while some continued to observe the Sabbath as the day consecrated to rest, others chose Sunday to celebrate their worship services.
83. Today I speak to you once more, and my teachings bring you new insights. You have lived through many experiences and developed yo . Today it does not matter which day you dedicate to rest from earthly toil, but rather that you know you must walk every day on the path I have laid out for you. Understand that there is no set time for your prayer, for every hour of the day is suitable for praying and putting My teaching into practice for the benefit of your fellow human beings. (166, 31-35)
Ask, and it will be given to you
84. You all bear a wound in your hearts. Who could penetrate your innermost being as I do? I know your suffering, your sorrow, and your despondency in the face of such great injustice and ingratitude that prevails in your world. I am aware of the exhaustion of those who have lived and toiled long on earth and for whom existence is a heavy burden. I am aware of the emptiness of those who have been left alone in this life. To all of you I say: "Ask, and it shall be given to you"; for I have come to give you what you need from Me, be it companionship, peace of mind, healing, tasks, or light. (262, 72)
85. Do not fear misery; it is only temporary, and in it you should pray and take the patience of Job as your example. Abundance will return, and then you will not have enough words to thank Me.
86. If illness ever weighs you down, O blessed sick ones, do not despair; your spirit is not sick. Lift yourselves up to Me in prayer, and your faith and spiritualization will restore your bodily health. Pray in the manner I have taught you: spiritually. (81, 43-44)
87. In moments of trial, offer a brief but sincere and heartfelt prayer, and you will feel comforted; and when you attain harmony with your Lord, I will be able to tell you that My will is yours and your will is Mine. (35, 7)
88. Pray, but let your prayer be guided by your daily plans and deeds; this will be your best prayer. Yet if you wish to direct a thought toward Me to express a request, simply say to Me: "Father, Thy will be done in me." With this, you will ask for even more than you could understand or hope for, and this simple sentence, this thought, will simplify even further that "Our Father" for which you asked Me in another time.
89. With this you have the prayer that asks for everything and that will speak best for you. Yet it is not your lips that should say it, but your heart that should feel it; for to say is not to feel, and if you feel it, you need not say it to Me. I know how to hear the voice of the Spirit and understand its language. Is there any greater joy for you than to know this? Or do you perhaps think that I am dependent on you telling Me what I must do? (247, 52-54)
90. I have taught you to pray and ask for others; but I also listen to you when you ask for yourselves. I accept this prayer. Yet I tell you that the time when I granted your requests because you were still immature is past. Now it is My will that you behave like disciples and offer Me your spirit and your heart in prayer, while allowing Me to read within them and do My will. (296, 69)
91. When you ask Me questions or make requests of Me, do not strain to explain your problem clearly to Me, nor strive to search your mind for the best-formulated phrases. It is enough for Me if your spirit detaches itself from the world at that moment and your heart and mind are pure, so that they may receive My inspiration. What good does it do you to speak wonderful words to Me if you are not able to feel My presence within you? I know everything, and you need not explain anything to Me so that I may understand you. (286, 9-10)
92. If you are able to comprehend My teaching, it will give you much satisfaction and offer many opportunities for upward development. Learn to pray before making any decision, for prayer is the perfect way to ask your Father, as you seek in Him light and strength to endure the struggle of life.
93. As you pray, enlightenment will soon come to your mind, enabling you to clearly distinguish good from evil, what is advisable from what you should not do, and this will be the most obvious proof that you have known how to prepare yourselves inwardly to hear the voice of the Spirit.
94. Bear your hardships with patience, and if you are unable to comprehend the meaning of your trials, pray, and I will reveal their meaning to you so that you may accept them inwardly. (333, 61, 62, 75)
95. Every time your lips or your thoughts say to Me, "Lord, have mercy on me, have compassion on my pain—Lord, do not withhold Your forgiveness from me," you demonstrate your ignorance, your confusion, and how little you know Me.
96. To tell Me that I should have compassion for your pain? To ask Me to have mercy on My children? To beg Me to forgive your sins—Me, who am love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion?
97. It is good for you to try to move those who have hard hearts on earth, and to seek to awaken compassion in those who have not a trace of sympathy for their neighbors through tears and imploring pleas; but do not use those phrases or thoughts to move the One who created you out of love and to love you eternally. (336, 41-43)
98. Be content with the great blessings the Father has bestowed upon you in regard to all that pertains to human life on earth. Do not ask for what might lead to the ruin of your soul and body. I have more to give you than you could ask of Me. Yet it is I who know what you truly lack on your journey through life. I have told you: If you know how to fulfill My law, you will see Me in all My glory. (337, 21)
The Blessing of Intercession
99. Do not get into the habit of praying only with words; pray with the spirit. I also tell you: Bless through prayer, send thoughts of light to your fellow human beings, ask for nothing for yourselves; remember: Whoever concerns themselves with Mine will always have Me as their guardian.
100. The seed you sow with love, you will receive back manifold. (21, 3-4)
101. Do not pray only when you are going through a painful trial; pray also when you are at peace, for then your hearts and your thoughts will be able to concern themselves with others. Nor should you pray only for those who have done you good, or for those who have not harmed you; for although this is meritorious, it is not as great as when you intercede for those who have harmed you in any way. (35, 8)
102. What am I teaching you at this time? To bless everything and everyone with heart and spirit; for whoever blesses in this way is like his Father, when He bestows His warmth upon all. Therefore I say to you: Learn to bless with the spirit, with thoughts, with the heart, and your peace, your strength, and your warmth of heart will reach the one to whom you send it, no matter how far away you believe him to be.
103. What would happen if all people blessed one another, even without knowing each other or ever having seen one another? Perfect peace would reign on earth; war would be unimaginable!
104. For this miracle to become reality, you must elevate your souls through perseverance in virtue. Do you perhaps consider this impossible? (142, 31)
105. Ask, and it will be given to you. Whatever you desire for the good of your fellow human beings—ask Me for it. Ask, unite your request with that of the one in need, and I will grant you what you ask for. (137, 54)
The Necessity of Prayer
106. "Watch and pray," I tell you again and again; but I do not want you to grow accustomed to this kind advice, but rather to reflect on it and act upon it.
107. I command you to pray, for he who does not pray gives himself over to superfluous, material, and sometimes senseless thoughts, thereby, without realizing it, fostering and fueling fratricidal wars. But when you pray, your thoughts, as if they were a sword of light, tear through the veils of darkness and the snares of temptation that hold many beings captive today; they saturate your surroundings with spiritual power and counteract the forces of evil. (9, 25–26)
108. People have always been too preoccupied with the glories of the earth to reflect on the significance of prayer and spiritual contemplation of what lies beyond this life, so that they might have discovered their own inner essence. Whoever prays speaks with the Father, and when he asks, he receives an immediate answer. People's ignorance of the spiritual is a consequence of a lack of prayer. (106, 33)
109. You are approaching a time when you will know how to give your soul, in a just manner, what is due to it, and the world what is due to it. It will be a time of true prayer, of worship of God free from fanaticism, in which you pray before every undertaking, in which you know how to preserve what has been entrusted to you.
110. How could a person make a mistake if, instead of doing his own will, he would first ask his Father in prayer? He who prays lives in communion with God, knows the value of the blessings he receives from his Father, and at the same time understands the meaning or purpose of the trials he undergoes. (174, 2 3)
The Beneficial Effects of a Life of Prayer
111. At all times I have told you: Pray. Today I tell you that through prayer you can attain wisdom. If all people prayed, they would never stray from the path of light that I have laid out. Through prayer, the sick would be healed, there would be no more unbelievers, and peace would return to souls.
112. How can a person be happy if he has rejected My grace? Does he perhaps think that love, mercy, and gentleness are not qualities of human life? (69, 7-8)
113. Know that the word which contains no love possesses neither life nor power. You ask Me how you can begin to love and what you must do so that this feeling may awaken in your hearts, and I say to you: what you must begin with is to be able to pray properly. It will bring you closer to the Master, and that Master am I.
114. In prayer you will find comfort, inspiration, and strength; it will give you the sweet satisfaction of being able to speak intimately with God, without witnesses or intermediaries. God and your spirit are united in this sweet moment of intimacy, spiritual dialogue, and blessings. (166, 43-44)
115. Whenever you need a confidant, a kind friend, turn to Me and lay before Me the sufferings that may be in your hearts, and I will advise you of the best path—the solution you seek.
116. If your soul is weighed down by burdens, it is because you have sinned. I will receive you and be gracious in My judgment; I will strengthen your resolve to improve and restore your lost strength.
117. Only by following My teachings will you remain in grace and preserve your spiritual and physical health. The experience you gain will be light that you gradually accumulate in your soul. (262, 20–21)
118. The soul that knows how to live vigilantly never strays from the path its Lord has laid out for it, and it is able to put its inheritance and gifts to use until it has attained its higher development.
119. This being must advance through trials because it lives vigilantly and never allows itself to be dominated by matter. Whoever watches and prays will always emerge victorious from life's crises and traverse the path of life with a firm step.
120. How different is the behavior of one who forgets to pray and to be vigilant! He voluntarily forgoes defending himself with the best weapons I have placed within humanity, which are faith, love, and the light of knowledge. It is he who does not hear the inner voice that speaks to him through intuition, conscience, and dreams. But his heart and mind do not understand that language and give no credence to the message of his own spirit. (278, 2-3)
121. Prayer is the means revealed to your spirit to reach Me with your questions, your concerns, and your longing for light. Through this dialogue, you can dispel your doubts and tear away the veil that conceals some mystery.
122. Prayer is the beginning of the dialogue from spirit to spirit that will blossom in the times to come and bear fruit among this humanity.
123. Today I have revealed all this to this people who listen to Me, so that they may be the forerunners of the age of spiritualization. (276, 18-19)
The Power of Prayer
124. When one of you prays, he is unaware of what he achieves in the spiritual realm through his thoughts. Therefore, you should know that when you pray for your fellow human beings—for those peoples who are destroying one another in war—your spirit, in turn, wages a mental battle against evil in those moments, and that your sword, which is peace, reason, justice, and the desire for good—clashes with the weapons of hatred, vengeance, and pride.
125. Now the time has come when people are becoming aware of the power of prayer. For prayer to truly possess power and light, it is necessary that you send it up to Me with love. (139, 7-8)
126. The power of thought and the spirit, united in prayer, create within man a strength that surpasses all human strength.
127. In prayer, the weak are strengthened, the cowardly are filled with courage, the ignorant are enlightened, and the timid become uninhibited.
128. When the spirit is able to work in harmony with the mind to achieve true prayer, it becomes an invisible soldier who temporarily distances itself from its physical nature, transports itself to other places, frees itself from the influence of the body, and devotes itself to the struggle to do good, ward off evil and dangers, and bring a spark of light, a drop of balm, or a breath of peace to those in need.
129. Understand, from all that I tell you, how much you are capable of accomplishing with the spirit and the mind amidst the chaos that has gripped this humanity. You are in a world of conflicting thoughts and ideas, where passions rage and feelings of hatred clash, where thinking is confused by materialism and souls are enveloped in darkness.
130. Only those who, through prayer, have learned to rise mentally and spiritually into the realms of light, the spheres of peace, will be able to enter the world of strife—where all human passions are reflected—without being defeated; on the contrary, they will leave behind something beneficial for those who need the light of the Spirit. (288, 18–22)
131. Learn to pray, for through prayer you can do much good, just as you can defend yourselves against treachery. Prayer is a shield and a weapon; if you have enemies, defend yourselves through prayer. But know that this weapon must not wound or harm anyone, for its sole purpose is to bring light into the darkness. (280, 56)
132. The forces of nature are unleashed against humanity. You must not be afraid, for you know that I have given you authority to defeat evil and protect your fellow human beings. You can command those elements of destruction to cease, and they will obey. If you remain in prayer and watchfulness, you will be able to perform miracles and amaze the world.
133. Pray sincerely, commune with My Spirit; do not seek out a specific place for this. Pray under a tree, on the road, on the summit of a mountain, or in the corner of your sleeping place, and I will come down to speak with you, enlighten you, and give you strength. (250, 24-25)
134. Truly, I tell you, if you were already united in spirit, in thought, and in will, your prayer alone would suffice to halt the nations that are living in preparation for the hour when they intend to pounce upon one another. You would eliminate hostilities, be an obstacle to all those evil plans of your fellow men, be like an invisible sword that defeats the powerful, and like a strong shield that protects the weak.
135. In the face of this obvious evidence of a higher power, humanity would pause for a moment to reflect, and this reflection would spare it many severe blows and afflictions that it would otherwise suffer at the hands of nature and its elements. (288, 27)
136. If you had great faith and greater knowledge of the power of prayer—how many acts of mercy would you perform through your power of thought. But you have not attributed to it all the power it possesses, and therefore you are often unaware of what you avert in a moment of genuine and true prayer.
137. Do you not realize that something higher is preventing the most inhuman of all your wars from breaking out in your world? Do you not realize that this miracle is influenced by millions of prayers from men, women, and children who, with their spirit, fight the forces of darkness and counteract the drive toward war? Continue to pray, continue to watch, but put all the faith you are capable of into this endeavor.
138. Pray, people, and spread over war, pain, and misery the mantle of peace of your thoughts, with which you will form a shield under whose protection your fellow human beings will find enlightenment and refuge. (323, 24-26)
Love for God and for one's neighbor as worship of God
139. Know, O my new disciples, that your homage and tribute to the Lord must be constant, without waiting for specific times or days to offer them, just as your Father's love for you is unchanging. Yet if you wish to know how you should remember My works of love daily without falling into fanaticism, I will tell you: Your life should be a constant homage to Him who created all things, by loving one another.
140. Act in this way, and I will grant you what you humbly ask of Me: that your transgressions be forgiven. I comfort you and grant you relief; but I tell you: When you discover your faults and your conscience judges you, pray, correct your faults, and arm yourselves with strength so that you do not commit the same sin again and do not have to ask Me repeatedly to forgive you. My Word teaches you so that you may ascend and gain access to the light and spiritualization. (49, 32-33)
141. "I thirst," I said to that crowd that did not understand My words and revelled in My agony. What could I say today, when I see that it is not merely a crowd but the whole world that wounds My Spirit without being aware of My pain?
142. My thirst is infinite, immeasurably great, and only your love will be able to quench it. Why do you offer Me an outward ritual instead of love? Do you not know that while I ask you for water, you offer Me gall and vinegar? (94, 74-75)
143. Truly, I tell you, it is precisely those who have suffered much and often hurt Me who will love Me most ardently; from their hearts will constantly flow an offering to My Divinity. They will not be material gifts, nor psalms, nor earthly altars. They know that the most pleasing offering and worship for Me are the works of love they perform for their brothers. (82, 5)
144. Day by day, your spiritual prayer reaches Me, the language of which your earthly nature does not know, for it consists neither of words spoken by your lips nor of concepts formed by your mind. The prayer of the spirit is so profound that it lies beyond human capabilities and senses.
145. In that prayer, the spirit ascends to the realms of light and peace where high spirits dwell, and there it is sated with that essence and then returns to its mortal body to impart strength to it. (256, 63-64)
146. People: The time has come for you to learn how to pray. Today I do not tell you to fall to the ground; I do not teach you to pray with your lips or to call upon Me with chosen words in beautiful prayers. Today I say to you: Turn to Me in thought, lift up your soul, and I will always come down to make My presence felt by you. If you do not know how to speak to your God, your repentance, your thoughts, your pain will suffice for Me; your love will suffice for Me.
147. This is the language I hear, the language I understand—the language without words, the language of truthfulness and sincerity. This is the prayer I have taught you in this Third Era.
148. Whenever you have done a good deed, you have felt My peace, comfort, and hope, because the Father is then very close to you. (358, 53-55)
149. I spurn all that is human vanity and human pomp, for only that which is spiritual, noble, and generous—the pure and the eternal—reaches My Spirit. Remember that I said to the woman of Samaria: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Seek Me in the infinite, in the pure, and there you will find Me.
150. Why offer Me what I have created for you? Why do you give Me flowers when they are not your own work? If, on the other hand, you offer Me works of love, mercy, forgiveness, justice, and help for your neighbor, then this tribute will certainly be spiritual and will rise to the Father like a caress, like a kiss that the children send to their Lord from the earth. (36, 26, 29)
151. Nor do I want you to limit your worship of God to material places of assembly, for then you would imprison your spirit and not let it spread its wings to attain eternity.
152. The altar I leave you to celebrate upon the worship I expect is life itself without any limitation, beyond all religions, all churches, and all sects, for it is founded in the spiritual, in the eternal, in the divine. (194, 27-28)
The Dialogue Between God and Man
153. Today I come to you with a teaching that—once understood—is the easiest to fulfill, even though to the world it may seem impossible to put into practice. I teach you the worship of love for God through your life, your works, and spiritual prayer, which is not uttered from the lips in a specific place, nor does it require ritual acts or images to be inspired. (72, 21)
154. While people sought to recognize in Me a distant, unapproachable God, I resolved to prove to them that I am closer to them than the eyelashes of their eyes.
155. They pray mechanically, and when they do not immediately see everything they have urgently asked for come to pass, they cry out in discouragement: "God has not heard us."
156. If they knew how to pray, if they would unite their heart and mind with their soul, they could hear the divine voice of the Lord in their spirit and feel that His presence is very near to them. But how can they feel My presence when they pray to Me through external rituals? How can they make their souls sensitive when they even worship their Lord in images made by their own hands?
157. I want you to understand that I am very close to you, that you can easily connect with Me, feel Me, and receive My inspirations. (162, 17-20)
158. Practice stillness, which helps the spirit to find its God. This stillness is like a fountain of knowledge, and all who enter into it are filled with the clarity of My wisdom. Silence is like a place enclosed by indestructible walls, to which only the spirit has access. Man constantly carries within himself the knowledge of the secret place where he can connect with God.
159. The place where you find yourselves is unimportant; everywhere you can connect with your Lord, whether you are on the summit of a mountain or in the depths of a valley, in the turmoil of a city, in the peace of your home, or in the midst of a battle. When you seek Me within your sanctuary in the deep silence of your elevation, the gates of the universal and invisible temple will open instantly, so that you may truly feel yourselves in your Father's house, which exists within every spirit.
160. When the pain of trials weighs you down and the sufferings of life shatter your feelings, when you feel a burning desire to find a little peace, withdraw to your bedroom or seek the silence, the solitude of the fields; there, lift up your soul, guided by the Spirit, and immerse yourself. Silence is the realm of the Spirit, a realm invisible to the physical eyes.
161. At the moment of entering spiritual ecstasy, one achieves the awakening of the higher senses, the emergence of intuition, the dawning of inspiration, a glimpse of the future, and the spiritual life clearly perceives the distant and makes possible what previously seemed unattainable.
162. If you wish to enter the silence of this sanctuary, this treasury, you must prepare the way yourselves, for only with true purity will you be able to enter it. (22, 36–40)
163. It is necessary that my prophets arise anew to admonish humanity. For while there are peoples who destroy themselves, blinded by ambition and violence, those who have received my light and judge humanity impartially fear to take on their task and pass on the Good News.
164. If people knew how to pray with the Spirit, they would hear My voice and receive My inspiration. But every time they pray, a veil lies over their spiritual eyes, hiding from them the light of My presence. I must come to people in the moments when their bodies rest, to awaken their souls, to call them, and to speak with them. It is Christ who enters your heart like a thief in the dead of night to sow His seed of love within it. (67, 29)
165. Learn to pray and meditate at the same time, so that knowledge and understanding may come to light within each of you. (333, 7)
166. Spirituality is freedom. Therefore, those who hear Me at this time and who have understood the meaning of this liberating teaching see a wide valley opening before them, in which they will struggle and bear witness that the time has come when God, the almighty Creator, came to establish the dialogue between Himself and humanity. (239, 8)
167. Christ's teaching was spiritual, yet man surrounded it with rites and forms to bring it within the grasp of souls of low elevation.
168. You have entered the age of the Spirit, the age of great revelations, in which materialization, deception, and imperfection will vanish from every form of worship, and in which every person will come to know his God—who is entirely Spirit—through his own spirit. In this way, he will discover the form of perfect communion. (195, 77–78)
169. Once people have learned to communicate with my Spirit, they will no longer need to consult books or ask questions.
170. Today they still ask those whom they believe to know more, or they search through writings and books—in their desire to find the truth. (118, 37)
171. If you were to learn to meditate for a short time each day, and if your meditation were focused on spiritual life, you would discover an infinite number of explanations and receive revelations that you could not obtain in any other way.
172. Your soul already possesses enough light to ask Me questions and to receive My answer. The human soul has already reached a high level of development. Observe your fellow human beings from humble backgrounds who, despite their lack of knowledge, surprise you with their profound observations and with the clear manner in which they explain to themselves what is inexplicable to many others. Do they perhaps derive this from books or schools? No. But out of intuition or necessity, they have discovered the gift of meditation, which is part of spiritual prayer. In their seclusion, shielded from influences and prejudices, they have discovered the way to connect with the Eternal, the Spiritual, the True; and some more, others less, all who have meditated on the true essence of life have received spiritual light in their intellectual faculties. (340, 43-44)
173. You ask Me what prayer consists of, and I answer you: to allow your spirit to rise freely to the Father; to surrender yourselves to that act with complete trust and faith; to receive in your heart and mind the impressions received through the Spirit; to affirm the Father's will with true humility. Whoever prays in this way rejoices in My presence at every moment of his life and never feels in need. (286, 11)
174. In the purest part of his being, in the spirit, I will inscribe My law in this time, I will make My voice heard, I will build My temple; for what is not within man, what is not in his soul, is as though it did not exist.
175. Whether one erects massive material churches in My honor, whether one offers Me celebrations and ceremonies full of splendor—this offering will not reach Me, because it is not spiritual. Every outward form of worship always carries within it vanity and ostentation; the secret offering, on the other hand—that which the world does not see and which you offer to Me from spirit to Spirit—reaches Me because of its humility, its sincerity, its truthfulness; in a word: because it sprang from the Spirit.
176. Recall that parable of Mine given to you in the "Second Era," known as the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and you will see that My teaching has been the same in all ages. (280, 68)
177. Do you know that some are loved without deserving it? That is how I love you. Give Me your cross, give Me your sorrows, give Me your failed hopes, give Me the heavy burden you bear: I can handle all pain. Free yourselves from your burden so that you may be happy; enter the sanctuary of My love and be still before the altar of the universe, so that your spirit may converse with the Father in the most beautiful language: that of love. (228, 73)