“In our prayer we should ask only for the salvation of our soul. Didn’t the Lord say, Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you? Easily, without the slightest difficulty, Christ can give us what we want. And remember the secret. The secret is not to think about asking for the specific thing at all. The secret is to ask for your union with Christ with utter selflessness, without saying give me this’ or ‘give me that’. It suffices to say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ God has no need to be informed by us about our various needs. He knows them all incomparably better than we do and He gives us His love. What is important is for us to respond to this love with prayer and with the keeping of His commandments. We should ask for the will of God to be done. That is what is in our best interest and the safest thing for us and for those for whom we pray. Christ will give us everything abundantly. When there is even a trace of egotism, nothing happens. We must go on our own to God in simplicity and artlessness of heart. When we have a relationship of absolute trust with Christ, we are happy and joyful. We possess the joy of Paradise. This is the secret. Ifwe can exclaim with Saint Paul, ‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain’ and, ‘It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me’. Such marvellous words! Delightful! All things must be done simply and gently.”

–  ‘Wounded by Love’