Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father's Love

Kimberly Novak reviews Personal Prayer, A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love by Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB, and Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB.

As a spiritual director and a big fan of resources concerning prayer, I jumped at the opportunity to review an exciting course and companion book from Emmaus Academy, Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love, by Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, co-wrote with his confrère, Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB, both of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, PA.

The description of the video and companion guide promise practical steps of contemplation focusing on personal liturgical prayer and a fantastic insight into Christian prayer and our essential relationship with Christ.

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I found the Emmaus Academy portal a pretty impressive resource for those serving in a religious capacity and a valuable place to gather information for the laity looking to expand their Christian library.

The only way to pray better is to pray more.

Let’s look first at the 6-session video course, each offering a specific topic to enhance our personal prayer experience. The sessions are recorded in a beautiful monastery and presented by Fr. Boniface Hicks. The environment is inviting, and you are immediately brought into a prayerful conversation with Fr. Hicks as he shares the material. I found the length of each video just right for instruction and comprehension of each lecture.  

The content comes across in a way that benefits those educated in theology, and even more so, the dutiful follower of Christ. Fr. Hicks educates the viewer on the experience of prayer in our homes and the Liturgy.  The presentation is more like a conversation done in a way that supports our human frailty and, when mixed with God’s love, can bring growth and fullness to our relationship with God.

Jesus didn’t beat up the apostles; just be yourself.

The course offers insight into many aspects of the Liturgy, personal prayer, our heart as a dwelling place, recognizing God’s presence, different prayer methods, and difficulties in prayer. The information is not overwhelming, explained very well, and a great addition to helpful ways of fostering a prayerful relationship with God. Each session concludes with a short quiz. I believe this is not to test whether or not you know how to pray but more to highlight the meat and potatoes of the individual lecture.  

The authors bring to light types of prayer, how to pray, why we pray, and vulnerability in prayer, to name a few highlights. Also important to note are the more sensitive topics, such as anxiety and silence in prayer. I bring this particular subject up because there has never been a moment in my life where I considered the emotional response of anxiety to be a gift of God.  Here is an excerpt of that much-needed message shared on this subject,

 God never stops pursuing us in love. God even gives us anxiety as a gift—a felt experience that alerts us to ways we are reaching for control that we know is beyond our power. If we read anxiety in this way, it can become a pathway to prayer that leads us into a deeper, trusting relationship with God. For this, we must learn to show the anxiety to God with the heart of a beggar who has no power but only need.

The excerpt I shared is only a glimpse into how valuable this resource is no matter what we face in life. Another ongoing theme that circulates within each chapter is that of our nakedness with God. The authors offer insight and encouragement on how to empty ourselves before God. Our vulnerability in prayer, letting God be God, and seeking God in silence are discussed in-depth and laid out in individual chapters. 

I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart. (Saint John XXIII)

Completing the course and companion guide, Personal Prayer, A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love, has been an excellent addition to my library and food for my soul. Both have given me valuable insights, explanations, and suggestions on how to have the most beautiful moments with God in the community and at home.  As a spiritual director, I will use this as a resource to educate and guide those I pray with and my ongoing education. Additionally, the companion guide has many educational aspects, such as spiritual references and a vast selection of quotes and prayers from various and theologians.  

Fr. Boniface Hicks and Fr. Thomas Acklin, in connection with the Emmaus Academy, have produced a resource that inspires the reader to thirst for a deeper connection to God, look into the eyes of Jesus, and abide in a never-ending love.  I highly recommend the video series and the companion guide for adult readers of any age.

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