Prayer is more than we think
Why we cannot pray, or we do not want to pray? Very often this is due to a misunderstanding of prayer, which does not reach its essence. The first and most serious mistake is when, in praying, we forget that the Giver is more precious than the gift given.
The main obstacle to prayer is the lack of understanding of what it is and what its meaning is in our lives. If someone wants to build something wonderful, for example, and does not know what this building supposed to be and for what the purpose is, it is difficult to imagine that his building will be well built. Only understanding the meaning of the building and its purpose allows to properly construct the whole and give it the right functionality. It is the same with prayer or any human effort. We need to start by defining a goal so that our effort makes sense.
In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone. (CCC 2726)
It seems that most often prayer is treated as a means to acquire certain goods and get help in life. At this point it is worth recalling an important statement of the Catechism contained in Chapter I: The Giver is more precious than the gift; he is the "treasure"; in him abides his Son's heart; the gift is given "as well." (CCC 2604)
If the gift becomes most important, then the Giver becomes a kind of institution and there is no question of a personal bond. At the same time, this gift can have various forms: concrete help in a difficult life situation, solving problems between people, obtaining mental calm and peace, extraordinary experiences, spiritual experiences up to mysticism, a sense of fulfillment of duty, etc. It is always "something for us" and not a living relationship with Someone.
Prayer, on the other hand, is not something through which we gain something for ourselves, but it is a living personal relationship, fully possible only in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, He is the creator of prayer. In fact, when we do not know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit himself intercedes for us with supplications that cannot be expressed in words (Rom 8:26). Prayer is something much deeper than we realize. We only enter into it, and we are shaped by it.
We must also face the fact that certain attitudes deriving from the mentality of "this present world" can penetrate our lives if we are not vigilant. For example, some would have it that only that is true which can be verified by reason and science; yet prayer is a mystery that overflows both our conscious and unconscious lives. Others overly prize production and profit; thus prayer, being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt sensuality and comfort as the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful; whereas prayer, the "love of beauty" (philokalia), is caught up in the glory of the living and true God. Finally, some see prayer as a flight from the world in reaction against activism; but in fact, Christian prayer is neither an escape from reality nor a divorce from life. (CCC 2727)
Very often the problem is that we see prayer as a human activity and we put it on an equal footing with other activities, looking from the practical side of what it gives us. Then, seeing that regardless of whether a person prays or not, things are not different in his life (he achieves successes or does not avoid failures and unpleasant or even bad situations), we come to the conclusion that it is better to relax or have a pleasant time than to pray, because it does not give anything. Instead, we must know that prayer is not of this world, prayer comes from the Holy Spirit, it goes beyond the natural, temporal dimension of life. It is a participation in another dimension of human life.
If we look at our whole life from the point of view of meaning, then we achieve a completely different perspective. All activities in this world that bring us: material goods, achievements in the social dimension, fame, importance, power, momentary joys ..., at the moment of death turn out to be worthless. Ecclesiastes remains: vanity over vanities, all vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). On the other hand, prayer, which is an encounter with God, towards which we ultimately aspire, and with whom we will meet at the moment of death, remains the only unwavering value and meaningful effort, if we are talking about true prayer, and not, for example, mechanical recitation of some prayer formulas or neurotic escape into the "supernatural" world from the difficult reality of an ordinary day.
At the moment of death, the whole truth is revealed: " We pray as we live, because we live as we pray " (CCC 2725). True prayer grows out of life and the problems we encounter in life, but it is not closed in temporality, but refers everything to God and finds its foothold in him, because the form of this world passes away and "our life is hidden with Christ in God" (cf. Col 3:3). For us, this life is only a pilgrimage, it is a school in which we learn: we know the truth about life and practically choose ourselves through the actions we undertake. They will pass away, but what remains is who we become through what we do. St. Paul prays for his disciples in Thessalonica: To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess 1,11—12).
Prayer gives our life its proper dimension and meaning by reference to the final goal.
Finally, our battle has to confront what we experience as failure in prayer: discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that, because we have "great possessions," we have not given all to the Lord; disappointment over not being heard according to our own will; wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray? To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance. (CCC 2728)
The Catechism lists various failures in prayer, which are the source of attitudes, ranging from the egocentric expectation of some benefits from prayer to the feeling of being a sinner who is so wicked that cannot stand before the Holy God. The reasons are varied, but one conclusion: "Why pray?" Here, as in other dimensions of life, we know the truth by its fruits, not by its motives, intentions, "noble sense of unworthiness," etc. And it does not matter whether the thought is primitive and shallow or "noble", the important thing is that it leads to the cessation of the effort to meet God, which means that it is from the Evil One. The Lord Jesus says very clearly: the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. (Mk 13:13).
It is not the "nobility" of intention, but perseverance in prayer and in general in living in obedience to Christ's commandments that brings us salvation. The Catechism lists three virtues: humility, trust, and perseverance. Humility is the basis of prayer, as the Catechism indicated in the preface to Part IV: "The basis of prayer is humility" (CCC 2559). Trust and perseverance show how much we have truly trusted God and truly chosen the path of life that he has shown us. If we succeeded and went smoothly, then humanly speaking, prayer would not be necessary for us, and thus we would have no verification of the truth of our choice of God, not the world. Only the test, the experience of failure or poverty show how authentic our choice is. This is the case, for example, in friendship: "a true friend is found in poverty/hardship", not in success.
With regard to hearing our prayer, it is necessary first to recall the truth, already mentioned, that in prayer the most important thing is the Giver, he is the Treasure. The gift received in prayer is an addition (see CCC 2604). Moreover, it is worth remembering that God always gives according to His measure, not according to ours. Unfortunately, in our requests, we usually want something to happen as we imagine it. However, our idea is limited and often wrong, and God gives according to His measure, quite differently. God shows us this in the living example of Jesus. In the fifth chapter of Hebrews, we read: In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hbr 5:7-10).
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will! (Mk 14:36). With loud cries and tears, he asked the Father to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. But they crucified Him. Humanly, therefore, he was not listened to. The author of the Letter, however, writes that he has been heard. Why? For he became the author of eternal salvation for all who obey him. God the Father listened according to His measure, not according to the measure of human imagination.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george