Prayer

This Sunday’s readings are all about prayer and conversing with God.  First Abraham has a conversation with God and bargains with Him to spare the few good people in Sodom and Gomorrah.  Then, Psalm 138 repeats the refrain, “Lord, on the day I called your name, You answered me.”  And in the gospel, when asked how to pray, Jesus gives the apostles the Our Father, and follows it up with, “ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”  (Luke 11:8).   The gospel reading ends with:

“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”              (Lk 11:13)

Notice that Jesus does not promise that we will receive exactly what we ask for, but that the Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”  In a world wracked by ever-increasing stress and an epidemic of anxiety and depression, prayer offers the antidote to despair.  Instead of feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders because we feel responsible to solve all the problems we confront on our own, God offers to send us the Holy Spirit.

Prayer will not and cannot change God, but it certainly can and will change us, if we enter into it sincerely and make it an important part of our daily life.   My old RCIA lesson plan for teaching about prayer suggests a format for prayer that is summarized by the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication).   This is essentially the structure of the Our Father, and serves to put us in the right frame of mind for conversing with God, by prioritizing adoration and contrition first.  If we start our prayer with a litany of requests, or suggestions for how God could improve the universe, and specifically our lot in life, we are missing the whole point of prayer.  If you need something from a friend, would you blurt out your request at the beginning of a conversation?  Prayer that starts with petitions (supplication) is self-centered, rather than God-centric, and does little to improve our outlook or relieve our anxiety.  However, prayer that starts with adoration, contrition, puts us in the frame of mind that God is awesome and we are indeed fortunate to be alive and in possession of so many miraculous gifts.  This alone will relieve stress, reduce anxiety and improve our attitude toward life and its vicissitudes.  By offering thanks before making any petitions, we are reminded of the many gifts already in our possession before making a request of God.  This also puts our petition in better perspective.

If you’ll indulge me for a minute, allow me to share a recurring prayer I use at the end of each day before falling asleep.  It goes something like this:

“Dear God, Almighty Father, I adore and worship you.  You alone have created all that exists in the universe and all life, including my own, and those I love.  You are the source of all knowledge and understanding.  If not for you, I could not think or communicate.  You are the font of all love; without you, and the example of your Son Jesus, we would be incapable of knowing and experiencing love, your greatest gift which lies at the center of the mystery of human life. 

You are all merciful, forgiving even the most grievous of sins.  Please forgive me for a life of selfishness and pride that has resulted in my overlooking the needs of others, especially my family.  

Thank you for the beauty and mystery of all creation, and for the miracle of human life, especially the lives of my family.  Please help me become your faithful servant in every respect, and grant me the courage to be a reliable witness to the truths you have revealed and imbedded in creation itself.”

In the end, no matter what we think are our needs, God will reward our prayer by sending us His Holy Spirit.  If we pray fervently, God will indeed be with us, giving us courage, strength, patience, and whatever else we may need to suffer through the trials and tribulations of human existence.  Attempting to get through life relying solely on ourselves, without God, or with a God we call upon only when things don’t go our way, is all but futile.  Jesus prayed frequently, and it must have strengthened His resolve to accept the will of His (Our) Father.  Like the Mass, prayer should not be entered into only because we want to get something from God.  First and foremost, it should be an act of worship, and its reward is the most precious thing imaginable: God Himself entering into our lives, comforting us, reassuring us that in the end we are His beloved children and despite what may happen in this life, we are destined to spend all eternity with Him.  If that doesn’t ease your anxiety, nothing will.