In our busy lives, it’s easy to forget how much contemplative prayer and soul-cleansing can help our spiritual journey. Tim Foley describes prayer in Making it Personal, emphasizing the importance of purifying our hearts to align with divine love.
He emphasizes that anyone can pray to God because of His mercy, but that only purification can lead to progress. Here, ‘purification’ means removing sin and its memories from our souls. Foley imagines a pure soul that can’t be blocked from contemplative prayer. Even though getting there may be difficult, we can all benefit from cleaning up our souls as much as possible in this life.
Foley studies distractions and purification. Too much stuff in our souls causes distractions, he says. Purifying our souls lets divine love in, helping us focus during prayer. This is powerful: letting go of worldly wants and sinful memories makes room for God’s love.
The author draws from the Bible, especially Jesus’ advice to ‘Seek first the kingdom of the Lord, and all other things will be given to you.’ This teaching suggests we should care less about earthly things, even those that distract us during prayer. Letting go of material things helps us receive God’s love.
Foley discusses distractions and how purification can reduce but not eliminate them. ‘No man can serve two masters,’ says the Bible. He emphasizes that a dark, sinful soul cannot receive God’s love.
Yet, he gives us hope by saying that our souls contain a ‘place worthy of receiving Divine Love.’ We slowly realize that divine love can enter our souls even when darkness remains as we pray. Get clean, Foley says, to expand this space in our souls.
Purification is a choice. Mindful prayer seeks only Divine Love. Clean up their wants to spend less time on worldly pleasures. Meanwhile, they enjoy simple pleasures. Foley believes we were made to enjoy simple pleasures in moderation and learn when to stop through free will.
Foley reminds us that our heavenly Father watches over us and leads us through His servant angels as we purify our souls. He shows us what we want and what is keeping us from Him. Like the Prodigal Son in the Old Testament, we recognize when things distract us during silent prayer and try to get back on track. Our Father embraces us and leads us to His divine love.
Foley says we may notice our intellect, imagination, and memory stop working while praying as we grow spiritually. With God in charge, we can think deeply during this suspension. Foley says God will lead us to know only His love so we don’t have to control our thoughts.
The book Making it Personal by Tim Foley examines how purification changes people. Foley stresses that we must purify our souls to receive divine Love and Pray. When we connect with God and let go of material things, we can receive His love and begin a profound spiritual journey. It reminds us that even though our lives are busy, a real relationship with God begins with mind-cleansing and meditation.