"In prayer one must hold fast and never let go, because the one who gives up loses all. If it seems that no one is listening to you, then cry out even louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other. If you are told, as was the Canaanite woman, that you do not deserve the grace for which you are asking, then reply like her that you are not seeking unusual favors, but are hoping only to eat the crumbs which fall from the divine table. "
Perhaps St. Jane might seem overly bold, but to me, she exhibits a tenacity in prayer that is grounded in love -- God's enduring love for her. Her intimacy with the Lord of her life is so great that she can and does speak freely to Him from the depths of her heart. Like the Shulamite woman in the Song of Songs (3:4), St. Jane exults: 'Tenui nec dimittam! I have laid hold of you and I will not let you go!" She knows that God has laid hold of her, and so she rests forever secure in His loving embrace.
St. Jane de Chantal, teach us the intimacy of love that will lead us to tenacity in prayer. Amen.
I don't think of her as being overly bold. She's persistent in prayer, which we are called to be! May we imitate her in her persistence and her zeal for God!
ReplyDelete