“‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:3-4).
What is prayer?
I know very easily how it presents. Prayer can be formal as found in the sacraments during the Holy Mass or any other sacrament where the priest uses certain words as prescribed for the meaning that they hold. Prayer can also be formal as in the formal prayers we pray on our own or in company – the Our Father and Hail Mary, the Holy Rosary, and many others. These prayers have a set of words that we use to address the Father through the intercession of various Saints. Paryer can be speaking – just using ordinary words to talk to God about whatever is in our heart or mind. Prayer can be in action – through a sacrifice (abstaining from the consumption of meat on a Friday for example) – or even through some other action like acts of charity in helping others who are in need. And prayer can be simple silence – emptying the mind so that we can listen for whatever God has to say.
Prayer – is actually a conversation with God. It is as simple as that. And just as sometimes we use formalities in conversation – like we greet each other by saying something like, “Hello. How are you today?” Prayer has formal elements. And just as some parts of our conversation involve informalities and jokes and fun, so too does prayer. And just as sometimes we need to listen and stay quiet, so too do we need silence in prayer where we empty our minds and await the instructions that God has prepared for us.
Christ taught us to pray…
“He was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:1-4).And I have been reflecting on that moment. How beautiful it must have been for the disciples to witness God speaking to the Persons of God in the Blessed Trinity! How wonderous would have appeared His countenance. He would not have rushed through the prayer in the fastest possible time to get to the end. No. Instead, He would have focused on each of the words of the prayer so that He would be able to address His Beloved as a Son of the Father and the Love between Them.
And how much God waits – not so much for my words – but for my LOVE in those prayers. When my children were babies and could barely speak, they would say “bm” and I would know that they wanted “bom-bom” which meant water for them… And I knew that because I am their mother, and I love them. And it is the same for God. He loves us infinitely. And that means that He is not waiting for fanciness in prayer. He just wants to hear the start of what we are saying, because He is there – right there – waiting to give us whatever we need. Because prayer is a conversation with one who loves us, more than we could ever imagine…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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