Do Not Underestimate the Gift of Prayer

An interesting point is worth noting about the danger of placing complete trust in oneself and one's actions above the power and authority of God. The person who immerses himself in this type of mindset may tend to give preference to himself over the well-being of others. Even more, when this behavior is applied to the act of praying, any form of prayer will be viewed, I argue, as an impediment to the person's daily living. When any form of prayer rises to the level of inconvenience, the result may be an individual who lacks both empathy for those around him and humility to serve others before yourself.

The genesis of any act of prayer should possess, in principle, the following characteristics: it should have a Christ-centered identity, which means our focus should be on the actions of words of our Lord as revealed in Sacred Scripture. The application of the Word of God- Divine Revelation serves as a communicative path toward understanding how God chose to communicate to us, especially through His Son Jesus Christ. Possessing a distinctive understanding that our communication with God comes alive through the Son Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh.

Another important characteristic of prayer is the preparation for death. The life bestowed by God upon man is meant to bring man toward a reality that our life on earth is infinite and that we are called to be spiritually vigilant and filled with joyous anticipation when He comes again. Prayer is synonymous with a desire to live an auster or ascetical lifestyle, one that helps you detach from yourself and seek an intimate metanoia with God. This process also leads us to seek an ongoing conversion of the heart and mind associated with the exercise of charity and humility. 

Charity and humility serve as pillars and pathways to communicating with God and forming an active relationship with Jesus Christ. Man was made to praise and worship God, and in so doing, actively seek God’s love. Ultimately, the internal disposition of the person, which comprises the soul, intellect, and will, is called to be directed toward God’s love revealed through the sacrificial death of his son Jesus Christ. The death of Christ brings to light the reality that God loved us to the point of offering his only-begotten so that we may not suffer a life without him and have eternal life with God in heaven.[1] Man is given an opportunity to assent to the will of God through the Son, but the reality is that he must choose this path; it cannot be forced upon him. He must choose humility as the entryway to holiness, which is the foundation of prayer.

The Catechism reminds us that prayer,

is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart?³ He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. “Man is a beggar before God.[2]

The example of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector serves as a fitting example of my initial point on the danger of placing trust in yourself and not in God. The Pharisee sought to control his conversation with God, or worse, dictate to God what he should do for him, because of his self-righteous way of communicating with God. The Pharisee was underestimating the actual gift of being in conversation with God. While on the opposite can be said of the tax collector who, with great humility, unable to look upward to heaven, strikes his breast acknowledging himself a sinner, begging God to have mercy on him.

When we pray in the name of Jesus, we are evoking the way of the Cross. The development of a genuine prayer life must reflect the way of the Cross and the suffering endured by Christ to open the gates of heaven through his death. We must be cautious not to underestimate the gift of prayer because of the opportunity to embrace the Cross of Christ. When we place complete trust in our abilities as human beings without acknowledging proper differential attribution to God, who made us in his image and likeness and gave us the opportunity to converse with him, we create a spiritual vacuum of self-love that results in a desire to satisfy our personal needs at the expense of others and worse our relationship with God.

Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life with fear. Rather, look to them with full confidence that, as they arise, God to whom you belong will, in his love, enable you to profit by them. He has guided you thus far in life. Do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all trials. Whenever you cannot stand, He will carry you lovingly in his arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Eternal Father who takes care of you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day of your life. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all useless thoughts, all vain dreads, and all anxious imaginations.’

St. Francis De Sales