How to Pray
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“Say what?" some may ask. "Who do you think you are telling your readers how to pray?”
Well, remember that this blog is principally for people who have given up on God and/or the Church, even though few of those people may read it. I always hope that people who do read it pass it on to their family and friends, and I know some do. Anyway, I'm guessing that many people searching for God have a problem with prayer.
(I recall an old joke about soldiers in a fox hole a under fierce artillery attack. Paralyzed with fear, one of them asked, “Does anyone know how to pray?” One of the soldiers said he grew up near a Catholic church and maybe he could say a few words. So, he began, “B-22, I-8, N-14.” For those of you who don’t get it, Catholic parishes were known for their frequent fund-raising Bingo games.)
Hopefully, most readers know something about praying. I would even bet that most already pray, but even though I’m certainly not a prayer expert, I do quite a bit of it, and I thought I would offer some suggestions for those who have trouble praying. I see prayer as crucial in the search for God.
Talking to Yourself?
A word about difficulties. When praying, you may get the feeling that you’re talking to yourself. Cynics would say that’s because there’s no one there to hear your prayers. But prayer is central to most world religions and has been a religious practice for thousands of years. And there’s good reason to believe in its efficacy. The other big difficulty is distraction, which you can overcome by the practice of focusing.
I have no data to back this up, but I think many people see prayer as a strictly personal thing and principally a way to ask God for what we need or want. But traditionally, prayer has been more from the viewpoint of the “we” than the “I.” In other words, prayer is also seeking God’s help for humankind – praying on behalf of people caught up in the Mideast wars and the war in Ukraine and Russia and for people in places such as Haiti and El Salvador.
And when asking for God’s forgiveness, it may include asking on behalf of the perpetrators of war and crime and asking God’s forgiveness for all the terrible things we humans do to each other.
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For me, the Psalms – the poems/songs/prayers of the ancient Hebrews – exemplify what I’m talking about. Although many of the psalms are deeply personal for the psalmist, many are prayed on behalf of “Israel,” considered “the people of God.”
“Come, let US sing joyfully to the Lord,” says Psalm 95, “cry out to the rock of OUR salvation. Let US come before him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out OUR psalms.”
This psalm may have been used in worship, scripture scholars say, and when I attend Mass and pray with the congregation prayers such as, “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us,” I’m thinking not only of my own faults but those of mankind – others who are also selfish, people taking advantage of the poor and disadvantaged – all part of my flawed human family.
The OUR Father
In this regard, there is no better example of praying on behalf of humankind than the “Our Father.” Many people may miss the significance of the “Our,” but the prayer recommended by Jesus is not principally prayed on our own behalf but on behalf of everyone: Give US this day our daily bread and forgive US our trespasses.”
For those praying in the Christian tradition, it’s also helpful to be conscious of who we’re praying to. One of Jesus’ primary missions, in my view, is to help us understand who God is: the Father, the parent, whose character is illustrated in parables such as the Prodigal Son. In that story, the father is a loving parent who forgives a son who seemingly rebels, asks for his inheritance and blows it in every direction.
Of course, we can also pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, we pray to Mary, the mother of God, and the saints, asking their intercession with the Holy Trinity.
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