The Practicality of Prayer

#prayer #hope #improvement

As I have gotten older, I have come to realize more and more my need of God and His mercy in my life. As a prodigal son, I have left and returned to God in spurts throughout my life, and on every occasion in which I have been away from Him, things progressed poorly for me. Finally I have come to the inevitable conclusion that it is only in Him and with Him that I can live a meaningful life, and only with His grace that I can become the best version of myself.

For believers, it is of paramount importance to develop the good habit of prayer. My relationship with the Lord is the most important connection in my life. The purpose of my prayer is to know God through regular conversation with Him. Prayer is an inviolable priority I practice at the beginning of my day, by directing my mind and heart toward God. In the same way that brisk physical exercise benefits the body, daily prayer benefits the soul.

Prayer may be conducted in a multitude of ways; however, performing the “Biblical” prayer has been my personal preference for the last few years. It begins with an expression of thanks to the Holy Trinity for blessings past and present, and those that will be bestowed upon me in the future. Next, by reading and reflecting on the Gospels, I ask the Lord to open my mind to any wisdom and understanding He should like to share with me. I read and reread passages slowly and ponder the text with this Biblical attitude: “Speak, O Lord; your servant is listening.” I place myself in the scene of the gospel, by asking questions such as: What is taking place? Where is it taking place? Who is there? What are they doing? What are they saying to each other? What is the message of this Scripture? What is Jesus saying to me? What is my response? What are the feelings in my heart?

It is then that I enter into a loving heart-to-heart conversation with the Lord, in the same way that one would open up to a friend. I talk about things that are troubling me, my worries, and my deepest sorrows. Likewise, I share with Him the things in my life that bring me the greatest joys and consolations. This discussion of anything and everything that is happening in my life is followed by a period of worship, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. Finally, I chronicle in my journal the insights and feelings resulting from my prayer experience. All in all, the practice requires roughly 20 minutes each morning, and prepares me for Mass and the rest of my day.

Even if you do not believe in God or have doubts about His existence and/or presence in your life, I would recommend that you pray nonetheless, by expressing your lack of faith: plain and simple. At the end of the day, so private and intimate a practice constitutes the very best sort of prayer. Simply be honest with your creator and be yourself as you are—no more, no less. I can assure that your personal prayer will reduce the worries and anxieties brought on by your present circumstances, and will help you to regain what is really important in life—a connection to who you are, not what you do or what you have.

Another expression of prayer may be channeled through one’s vocation; our work and its intrinsic value becomes a prayer in and of itself, as we offer our manual and/or intellectual labor to God. Thus, prayer and carrying out one’s duties are inexorably linked, as two facets of the same individual through which one may become a better person. The hardships of our work then represent a way to help ourselves as well as serve others. In my own vocation as a physician, I have seen terrible afflictions brought on by some diseases which are very difficult to treat. Under these circumstances, it is only through prayer that such patients can accomplish a balance of body, mind, and spirit, easing their heavy burdens with unshakable faith-based strength.

The essential daily habit of prayer may not change our circumstances entirely, but it certainly has the power to change us as individuals and empower us to deal with whatever may come our way. As Oswald Chambers put it, “Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.”

Thomas Aquinas referred to prayer as the interpretation and the language of hope. The Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus (Mt.6: 9-13) is the very school of hope. Learning to pray is learning to hope and to love. Thus, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Those who despair do not pray anymore because they no longer hope; those who are sure of themselves and their own power do not pray because they rely only on themselves. Those who pray hope in a goodness and in a power that transcend their own capabilities. Prayer is hope in execution…”

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“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact, on certain occasions, you should only speak to Him with your heart.”

St. Padre Pio