Saying or Praying? - New Evangelizers

How many times have you been lost in prayer?

I do not mean lost in ecstasy, emotion, and spiritual bliss. I mean lost as in you are reciting a prayer but in your mind, you are contemplating what to cook for dinner tonight, preparing your shopping list or planning your next vacation. Lost as in not remembering where you were during your recitation and have to start all over again. Lost as in reciting a prayer by rote, saying a ‘bunch of words’ and not really knowing or understanding  what they mean or what significance they have for you and your faith – Saying and not praying.

Many of us simply rely on saying words and feel we have done our Christian duty – an Our Father, a Hail Mary , and a Glory Be, and we are off and running for the rest of the day.

What a terrible mistake. Reciting words means exactly that – reciting words.

What makes words a prayer? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Prayer is a vital necessity. Proof from the contrary is no less convincing: if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we fall back into slavery of sin. How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from Him?

When we pray, we must be open to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not ‘open us’, we must be open to Him. When simply reciting prayer with no meditation on what we are reciting, we slam the door shut on the Holy Spirit and push it wide open for sin and the evil one.

Prayer only works when we provide meaning to it through the graces of the Holy Spirit. Uniting meaningful words with the Holy Spirit brings you into commune with our Holy Father – God Almighty.

Pope John Paul II provides us with a great explanation of what prayer should be for the Christian community:

We must be very attentive and make sure that prayer does not lose that power of turning things upside down which ought to shake the consciences of all about the  division of Christians which openly contradicts the will of Christ, provides a stumbling block to the world, and inflicts damage on the most holy cause of proclaiming the good news to every creature.

Through prayer we are united as a Christian community. We speak a common language and all work toward  the same goal – the fulfillment of God’s will.

Rather than simply recite words, Pope John Paul II challenges us to “turn things upside down” and change the way we see things. This is radical in the sense that prayer is an active exercise rather than a passive exercise. It does require spiritual work on our part.

Prayer is a time to openly speak to God. Every time you pray faithfully, GOD WILL LISTEN. More importantly, you will listen to God as well. Meaningful prayer allows for this two-way communication.

Many have said to me how difficult it is to find time and a place in our demanding lives to pray. Some of us are busy at work, raising and taking care of a family, and even stretched thin battling personal demons.

Again the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

 It is possible to offer prayer while walking in public, or strolling alone, or seated in your shop…while buying or selling… or even while cooking.

Prayer is not a ritual, it is not a process one has to approach step-by-step. It is simply a surrendering of oneself to God. Through that conscious surrendering we allow the Holy Spirit into our lives.

By actively surrendering, we close the door on all of our earthly distractions and we are more focused on our spiritual needs. God never shuts his door on us. His welcome mat is always out and his home is always open. You simply have to enter it in peace.

Copyright © 2012, Luciano Corbo

Luciano Corbo

Luciano Corbo holds a Master of Arts - Integrated Studies from Athabasca University. His major interests are Culture, Work, Organizations and Leadership, within a context of Catholic Social Teaching Principles. He writes from Canada.