Reflections - Why Do We Pray?

Why Do We Pray? 

There are two primary reasons to pray:

1.   To know God’s will

2.   To will God to know

In Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus counsels the rich young ruler, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” He had zealously kept all the commandments of God. He wanted to know from Jesus, what more?

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

“But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

The rich man wanted “to know God’s will” and he was disappointed.

When we want to know God’s will, are we sometime deceptive in our intent or are we just afraid of what God may say?

Priesthood or religious life is God’s call to many. While the rich man had everything, and while obedient in keeping God’s laws, wanted to secure one last possession - eternal life.

Jesus, in Matthew 19:29, is unequivocal in saying that eternal life is only for, “… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life”.

They will get hundred times as much of what they have left and also inherit eternal life.

The early Christian converts were like the rich young ruler, but unlike him, gave up everything to follow, preach and ‘live’ Christ.

Today, the Church lacks vocations because few are seized with the notion of eternal life. The rich man, listening to Jesus’ words, at least considered that the eternal life was worth having, but only if it came along with everything else that he had.

Those who know and are seized of the notion of eternal life, are not able to ‘assess’ the real value of ‘eternal life’.

The challenge for the church is how do you make the concept of eternal life - intangible as it is - tangible.

We know of people who had near death experiences, speak of heaven and the “weeping and grinding of teeth” in hell.

You and I, who have not had such experiences, what would we make of these revelations? Our minds will most likely treat these revelations as “hallucinations’ to avoid its bitter truth.

Those living the vocations faithfully have done so and are “blessed with homes and with brothers and sisters numbering in ‘tens and thousands’, not just in their country, but around the world…and will (also) inherit eternal life”.

‘To know God’s will’ in our life is a submission we are making to God, that we wish to live a life that He has created - us for – whatever it may, we believe we will feel more fulfilled in living that life.

Let’s turn now “To will God to know’’.

‘To will God to know’ is us saying that we have decided and God please bless us. Or we are saying, “God I am going through these challenges in my life, please help me overcome the challenge”.

That’s life playing out. Our hearts that may have turned away from God because we were “well-fed”, through these ‘lean’ circumstances God is calling us back to Him.

It’s good we pray to our Lord for our needs, rather than submitting to someone else, who under the subterfuge of helping, leads us from where there is no return.

In Colossians 4:2, St Paul tells us: “Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God”.

In Matthew 6:8, Jesus tell us avoid the ‘how good I am’ prayer of the Pharisees, but instead be like the repentant tax collector, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”. So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.…

So, we need both:

1.   To know God’s Will

2.   To Will God to Know

Sometime, we are afraid to say the first prayer – to know God’s will.

We are afraid. We think the ‘‘Master, … is a hard man, reaping where (He) did not sow, and gathering where (He) scattered no seed” from the Parable of the Talents”. (Matthew 25: 24)  

We are afraid that when we seek God’s will He will call us all to the vocations. Really?

When God created the earth, He filled it with variety, each splendid in itself. When God created man, he made us each distinct, blessed with a talent which is our very own, to develop it with His guidance, and use for the good of humanity.

Our calling lies in these distinct talents that we need to bear in praise of God and His glory. We all live the vocation of priesthood too as God divined for us and our possession we hold only as mere custodians, not as owners, to do His will on earth. In that lies our claim to eternal life.

And, we must ‘will God to know’. Our persistent prayers bring us closer to God. When our needs are met our prayers should be persistent still – the prayers of thanksgiving.

So, know God’s will, and will God to know; in that we strike a balance to lead a sacramental life.