As I’m in a lot (and I mean a lot) of meetings each week, I get to hear a lot of prayers. Prayers for discernment, prayers of petition, prayers to calm a situation.
I find this fascinating, listening to how individuals and groups of people pray. You learn something (probably not that much but something nonetheless) about the person who is praying. You get a tiny glimpse into their relationship with God and about their concept of prayer. These are special moments to be sure.
To compliment this, my own little “lab of prayer”, also known as my family, prays nearly each day together. Typically, as the day is coming to an end, we gather for a few minutes to ask for God’s blessing. This often includes prayers of supplication, again a fascinating glimpse into my wife and kids’ understanding of prayer.
Whether at work or at home, it’s good to pray. It sets our minds and hearts right. It prepares us, gathers us and settles us.
With that said, I see a lot of Catholics who:
1. Pray as if God doesn’t already know what’s going on. He does and we don’t need to introduce some new event as if putting a memo on his desk. He’s well aware of everything, even before we are. This doesn’t mean we ought not ask for God to do something. Rather, it means that we walk lightly, lovingly presenting our needs to God.
2. Pray as if God is a vending machine. It’s up to God if he wants to bring healing, provide a job or show you a new home to buy. He doesn’t have to do anything for us as at all. His ways are not our ways, no matter how clever we are or how loud our cries.
3. Pray as if they are reciting a poem. We can remember that we are praying to someone, to the God of the universe, rather than reciting a poem or giving a speech. Prayers found on the internet, printed out and handed around are tricky. Sure, you may get a gem here and there but too many are hokey and contribute to the concept of poem-recitation. I always prefer when someone simply prays from their heart as best they can.
Lest we be too hard on ourselves, we should pray as we can. And, with maturity and practice, we can approach the Lord with humility and gentleness. He knows our needs. He loves us and desires intimacy with us on levels we can’t imagine.
-Mike
I find this fascinating, listening to how individuals and groups of people pray. You learn something (probably not that much but something nonetheless) about the person who is praying. You get a tiny glimpse into their relationship with God and about their concept of prayer. These are special moments to be sure.
To compliment this, my own little “lab of prayer”, also known as my family, prays nearly each day together. Typically, as the day is coming to an end, we gather for a few minutes to ask for God’s blessing. This often includes prayers of supplication, again a fascinating glimpse into my wife and kids’ understanding of prayer.
Whether at work or at home, it’s good to pray. It sets our minds and hearts right. It prepares us, gathers us and settles us.
With that said, I see a lot of Catholics who:
1. Pray as if God doesn’t already know what’s going on. He does and we don’t need to introduce some new event as if putting a memo on his desk. He’s well aware of everything, even before we are. This doesn’t mean we ought not ask for God to do something. Rather, it means that we walk lightly, lovingly presenting our needs to God.
2. Pray as if God is a vending machine. It’s up to God if he wants to bring healing, provide a job or show you a new home to buy. He doesn’t have to do anything for us as at all. His ways are not our ways, no matter how clever we are or how loud our cries.
3. Pray as if they are reciting a poem. We can remember that we are praying to someone, to the God of the universe, rather than reciting a poem or giving a speech. Prayers found on the internet, printed out and handed around are tricky. Sure, you may get a gem here and there but too many are hokey and contribute to the concept of poem-recitation. I always prefer when someone simply prays from their heart as best they can.
Lest we be too hard on ourselves, we should pray as we can. And, with maturity and practice, we can approach the Lord with humility and gentleness. He knows our needs. He loves us and desires intimacy with us on levels we can’t imagine.
-Mike