Praying Through the Summer

Often enough, people describe their prayer life as lacking the satisfaction and energy that it once had. Sometimes this is a case of remembering actual prayerful experiences and noting that their current experience, for one reason or another, has changed. Other times the complaint may be the hopeful recall of what might have been. In the latter case prayer was never actually much a part of the person’s life.

Prayer in any case is God’s gift to us. The initiative to pray is primarily on God’s part. This is not at all to say that prayer comes magically from the heavens or just happens of a moment. The invitation to prayer comes from within ourselves, from the world that surrounds us, and frequently from the faith community with whom we worship. Prayer difficulties are often enough a question of attention to the call and our response to the action of God in our life.

Teach Us to Pray
In the gospels of both Luke and Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. This would have been a normal question for the disciples to ask their Rabbi or teacher. Their manner of prayer would rise from their way of life and their relationship with their spiritual master. They would have expected to pray in a style in which he prayed. In one sense it was technique: what kinds of words, what to pray for, and how to do that when they came together.

It could have been a direct “how-to” question. Especially in Matthew the request of the disciples and Jesus’ response is in a context of the call to the Kingdom of God, the Beatitudes. Because they were called to live in a new way of holiness in the Beatitudes, they express that new way of life in a different way of prayer. Their lifestyle gave birth to a new way of prayer. It is here where they learn the Lord’s Prayer – the expression and hope for the Kingdom of God in their life and in their world.

Beyond the question of technique, Jesus, in teaching them to pray, instructs them about their new relationship with the Father through him. What they learn is that, as people of the Kingdom, they are in a new and

intimate relationship with the Father in Christ. The Kingdom, the way of life as disciples,reveals a new relationship with the Father. And the contrary is true that the relationship with the Father shows us the way to the Kingdom.

In prayer the Father invites us to a new relationship which is shown to us in Christ and in the way of beatitude. The beginning of prayer is within the mystery of God himself. Praying people are invited to live in God himself. Prayer, as such, is not caused by our words or techniques, which in reality provide a context and way to discover God. But we are moved to prayer by God by himself.

Often enough, our worries about prayer are over how-to, what words, and what to do. As prayer is a gift, the challenge to pray is to attend to God in our life and to our relationship with him. That is a question of discernment. The frequent admonitions about prayer invite us to let go, to be centered, and to be still before the mystery of God.

Fast Culture
To let go, to be centered, to be still is a challenge to our culture, the way we live. Prayer is not an instant experience. It is not a quick fix to our problems. It is not a hurry-up-and-get-it-done trip to God. God’s offer of relationship to us is similar to all relationships of friendship and love. Relationship must first be noted, explored, and then savored. That seems to be the challenge of prayer – to explore and then to savor.

Where to Begin
The invitation to prayer, the call to enter deeply into the life of God himself, is a gracious given. Our challenge becomes the creation of space and time. Since we are not pure spirit, but human beings who require words, touch, smells, and touch, we rely on words and actions where God can act in our lives. Attend to the scriptural Word of God in our life. Be aware of movements of grace at community worship. Read a spiritual book. That’s our part and God will then respond and lead us in prayer. Our cultural efficiency needs to learn patience and being still for noting the action of God in our human histories. Allow God to embrace us and then embrace him in the mystery of prayer.

CDH