God of Overflowing Love

The goal of prayer is to make Jesus Christ alive in the believer. To bring Christ to life is the way to peace. Prayer is that relationship with God, the longing of the human heart for God, and God’s longing for us. Franciscan prayer is about relationship with a God of overflowing love. It is discovering the God of love at the center of our lives and of our world and finding the truth of our identity in God. To enter into this relationship one must be a person of desire. God does not force us into a relationship of love but freely gives us the grace to respond to his invitation of love. Spiritual desire is the longing of the heart for relationship with God that brings happiness and peace. Francis of Assisi was a passionate person, a dreamer, a lover and a person of desire. When he felt his desire filled in hearing the gospel, he found the answer to his deepest longings and changed his life accordingly. He became a follower of Christ. Francis’ life shows us that we must be attentive to our desires if we are to find the fulfillment of our lives in God. 

—from the book Franciscan Prayer
by Ilia Delio, OSF