What does it mean to pray? As followers of Jesus Christ prayer is our way of talking to and communicating with God. Praying can take on many different ways of talking to God, but at its core, prayer is a conversation with God.
We pray in adoration for God’s goodness, we pray in confession for God’s forgiveness of our sins, we pray in thanksgiving for all that God’s grace has given us, we pray in quiet silence as we await God’s answer to our many petitions. He answers when He knows that we are ready to listen to and take the proper action to His loving graces.
Prayer isn’t mainly about getting what we want. Prayer is about being transformed by relationship with God, becoming that person God has intended for us to grow and mature in our lives here on earth. In prayer we also find ourselves growing closer to God receiving His unconditional love which is always freely given.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.” (CCC 2562). The CCC goes on to say, “the heart is our hidden centre, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully.” (CCC 2563).
We have all heard that God works in mysterious ways. Accordingly, God’s reaction to our prayers is a mystery. Why? Because as human beings we are incapable of understanding the length, depth and breadth of how God works in our lives.
The greatest example we have for knowing how to pray is Jesus Christ. He teaches his disciples how to pray by giving them The Lord’s Prayer. He also shows the importance of prayer by how he incorporates prayer into his life. Jesus prays for those who are sick, distressed, and he prays for God to remove the burden of the cross from him. He prayed also to glorify God. When in his human form he grew tired, frustrated, or even angry, he retreated up “the mountain” to pray to his Father. He would pray all night to feel the release and peace to help him continue on with his ministry.
We are called to pray. Let’s pray for our very troubled world, our neighbour, and yes even for ourselves. AMEN.
Dcn Tom Cuddihy
