Focus on Prayer

In the last issue, Fr Chris reminded us of the three key strands of how Bishop Richard is asking us all to respond to his Call to Mission: Prayer, Formation and Mission.

‘Prayer – the ‘raising of one’s mind and heart to God’ – is

the necessary foundation for every step that we take.’

[from “The Pastoral Plan: Call to Mission” paragraph 3.1.i]

Here, your editor reflects on what this can mean for all of us …

 

People have been asking ‘how should we pray?’ for a long time – in Luke’s Gospel, one of the apostles asks Jesus this and it is from his reply that we have what we now know as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ [Lk.11:2-4].  But the use of formal prayers is only one part of the answer to the question.

             ‘For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a

cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.’ [St. Thérèse of Lisieux]

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC ##2626-2649] describes five types of prayer:

• we can pray in adoration, exalting the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Saviour who sets us free from evil;

• we can petition God for something [we think] we need;

• we can pray for intercession on behalf of other people, asking Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Our Lady, or one of the saints to intercede – whether for family or friends, or people we have never met or even cannot identify by name – to petition for something [we think] they need;

• we can thank God for something specific he has done, for us or anyone else, or given, or in general;

• we can praise God for His greatness, His infinite mercy, the wonders of creation, or all he has done.

There are formal prayers for all these purposes – we say some regularly as part of the Mass;

others form their own distinct acts of worship (such as the Rosary, or Stations of the Cross); at the end of this article are some links to just a few of the many sites available to help make sure you can always ‘find’ a prayer.

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But we don’t always need someone else’s words: in our own words is a powerful way of talking to God, who knows what is in our hearts and minds and will listen to whatever words are in our heads.

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And we don’t always need any words: silent reflection, committing to God our lives, or something specific that we have done or plan to do, can work just as well, as God knows what is in the heart and mind of every one of us, even when we cannot find the words to articulate it – and He knows too the hearts and minds of people who are incapable of forming words to articulate their thoughts.

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And while, when we can, it is important to make time to concentrate on prayer, this does not always have to be a “separate” activity in our lives: we can offer what we are doing – our daily work, routine chores, doing something special for another person, or indeed anything we do – as a prayer to God, ‘any time, anywhere’, in the certain knowledge that, whenever we can find a moment, God will be listening.

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“How do I know if my prayers are heard?”

God listens to all our prayers. But that does not mean that God will give us everything we ask for, even if we are asking on behalf of others. God will give what is needed, even if we don’t understand what it is he is doing for us. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ [Is. 55:8-9]

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“How is it any good knowing God listens to my prayers if I can’t tell if they make any difference?”

Sometimes, the hardest part of prayer is listening to God. Prayer is not always about us ‘talking’; we must open our minds and our hearts to hear what God’s message is for us. By doing this, we invite the Holy Spirit to help us – not to understand God’s thoughts, but to understand what we should be and what we should be doing to respond to God’s calling.

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We do not have to be Benedictines to recognise the importance of the first words of St Benedict’s Rule: ‘Listen carefully to the master’s instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart.’ [Prol.1]

           “These words should resonate in our hearts and minds each and every day – each and

            every moment of our existence. If we fail to listen, how shall we know the way? Jesus tells

            us very clearly:

                    ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,

                    no one can come to the Father except through me.’ [Jn. 14:6]

             We cannot come to the Father, we cannot reach our destination, unless we follow the

             Way – unless we follow the person of Jesus. Listening is the first vital step and is needed

             for every step that we take thereafter.”

                           [from “Walking with St. Benedict”, a talk by Bishop Richard Moth, 19th May 2021]

 

Praying to God, in whatever way we find most helpful, can be a way for us to declare that we are ready to listen to God.