Prayer has been talked about for 2000 years, volumes have been written on it and the Church Fathers seem to be able to discuss it to no end. What is it? Try to resist running to the bookshelf or googling to find the "right" answer. Tell me what you think?
7 comments:
Prayer is as simple and convenient as you need it to be (i.e. about to get into car wreck and pray "Lord help me!")or as complex as you dare to delve into. I think most of the time for myself, I keep it simple and somewhat shallow...not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it is very complex and requires more than a thought from the brain. I usually have a boilerplate prayer that I throw in extra language to as needed and at set times of the day almost like just fulfilling an obligation and I often give little thought about God, where he is and how I am to relate to him and vice versa. Prayer can be mediation on God, repentence, thanksgiving, asking, or silence. If God is to speak to us, we need be receptive to hearing. It takes fasting and distancing ourselves from worldy cares, amongst many other things we can do, to achieve true prayer. It starts with thoughts in our mind and eventually is suppose to be straight from the heart with no thought or "filtering" through the brain. I have not been able to do this myself. Hopefully, I will gain more ensight into prayer and what it is through this class.
Wow, Jaden that is a great straight honest reply and I appreciate it. I apologize for not replying sooner but I have been working with the blog settings so it would let me post a comment and I think I just got it fixed.
I know we talked a good bit about this in class but I am going to re-cap what we discussed for those who might come along later. Please feel free to comment on my comments. :-)
Your first statement says a lot. It's true prayer can be simple or very deep to the point of being unexplainable but thankfully God looks on the heart and hears it all. We talked about maybe a boilerplate prayer being like the Jesus Prayer, which we will get into more in depth later, and how that might be just the beginning of going deeper. We talked a little about how being receptive to hearing God also means that if we do feel like he is giving us direction that we, being under authority, would feel obligated to be obedient and how scary that might be. I mean essentially we are saying if we are receptive to hearing then we should be receptive or obligated to say "YES". I mean who is going to say they heard from the Lord God Almighty and then said "NO". Not me pal!!!
We also touched on how, mysteriously, fasting has a very concrete effect on our prayer life. It is an exercise in denying our flesh and being obedient to Him and the Church but it goes beyond that I can tell you. Fasting has a most definite amplifying effect on our prayer life.
Near the end you talk about prayer being through the heart and no filtering through the brain. I said in class that I learned through another priest that we actually have two cognitive centers our mind and our heart. The vast majority of us are rarely if ever cognizant of this but it is through our heart that we are truly able to come nearer to God. We will most definitely talk more about prayer of the heart. Please be aware that it is easy to read about many of these things but it can take a long time, possibly years, to where we are ready, willing and able to walk in these things.
Blessings now and ever...
Wade
To me, prayer is simply a conversation with God. Maybe a bit oversimplified, but it is the "definition" that works for me. I have been without a radio in the car for almost 2 years, with 1 -2 hour drives every day (one way) and many long road trips. That is a lot of "quiet time" that I spend just reflecting about life, finding the blessings I overlook, the problems that exist, and the responsibilities I have. I bring all this to God, mostly asking for his help in being thankful, hopeful, patient, and compassionate towards myself and those in my life (strangers and family alike). To me, that is the essence of prayer.
On the boilerplate prayers you mentioned. I'm not sure how I feel about that concept. I have always had trouble sticking to a set routine of morning and/or evening prayers. Then, one day, Father Matthew said to me "I just said the Trisaigion prayer. It took 30 seconds. Do you have 30 seconds each morning?" So I guess that would be my boilerplate prayer, if nothing else, it gets said on the way to work. (After all I have an hour and a half to remember to say it!)
As for fasting, I am forced to apply this discipline in a very watered down way. Due to personal circumstances, I can't fast from specific foods or on specific days/times. So fasting to me is simply consuming the right foods in the right amounts on a daily basis; I also limit food at times. I do not feel that this type of fasting has helped, hindered, or improved my prayer/time with God. Maybe that's because it isn't done "fully", but then again maybe not. Food for thought I guess. :)
Monique,
The way you talk about bringing the things in your life to God while you have all this time in the car sounds very much like Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a dishwasher in a monastery about 350 years ago. After his death his letters and some conversations were all put into a small book called Practicing His Presence. There are still many versions of it in print today. Brother Lawrence was so popular in his day for his simple approach to His life with God that Bishops and Cardinals of the church would come to visit him, a simple dishwasher. What he advocated was simply starting your day with prayer and then not stopping. You would have to go about your work of course but he would say just to do it while carrying on a constant conversation with God. Sounds simple right?.....
I'll write more when I get home.
God bless,
Wade
So my last comment was "sounds simple right?" Well, simple yes, easy no. I don't know about you but I typically have about a hundred things on my mind. Most of the time, especially at work, I feel like a mental juggler. It sounds admirable and simple to be in a constant conversation with God but it is rarely easy. There are disciplines that the Fathers have developed to help us separate ourselves from the world and the passions. One of those is the Jesus Prayer. It is one of those simple things that is also incredibly powerful but it's not magic it takes effort and a real desire to use it correctly. The Jesus Prayer is a whole topic in and of itself. Whole books have been written on it.
Regarding the idea of a "boilerplate" prayer and set prayer routines. I would highly encourage you to develop a routine. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying start tomorrow and spend an hour in the morning and an hour at night but I would say maybe just get up a few minutes earlier and pray the Trisagion from a prayer book and pray for your family and your day. As time goes on you may find yourself expanding this time to include some bible reading and/or other kinds of prayer. I think this is a practical application of "Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness..." {Matt.6:33)If you do this consistently with a sincere heart, as time goes on, I believe you will find the hand of God more evident in your life and those you pray for. He does reward those who diligently seek Him (Heb.11:6).
We will save fasting and it's impact on prayer for another time. Next time I post I would like to say what I used to think prayer was and what I think it is now. My definition of prayer, old and current, are pretty different.
Blessings now and ever...
Wade
I certainly did not mean to imply that I am able to keep a constant conversation with God going on and that it is an easy task to do. My head is full of a hundred different things too (whose isn't these days?) and when my mind wanders, I just take think about those new things and eventually my mind wanders back to God and the root conversation.
And this conversation ends almost as quickly as it begins. I apologize if I seemed arrogant or prideful. I, in no way, have prayer, or how to use prayer effectively, figured out.
I am sorry Monique. I did not mean to imply that I thought you were saying you had it all figured out. I was speaking in more general terms. I admire Brother Lawrence for his life and the impact he has made on me and the Church. I guess I suffer from the typical male communication handicap. Camille will definitely agree with that statement! :-)
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