PRAYER

Pray always. Those are the words not of a priest, a loving parent, or a wise sage, but of Jesus himself.

What is prayer? We often think of prayer as talking to God. And it is. Though, more importantly, it is also listening to what God has to say to us.

What is the best prayer? It is said that St. Michael asked, God, who is your favorite creature. God responds, Michael, you know I love all my creatures equally. But the angel persisted; he wanted to hear his name. After much persistence, God answered him, Well, if you must know, it’s Farmer Brown.

Michael flies down to Earth to check out Farmer Brown. He finds nothing unusual, no great miracles, so he returns to heaven and says to God, You were pulling my leg, weren’t you. But God says, No, didn’t you notice how he begins his day with me in mind, giving me thanks, and ends it the same way.

The best prayer: saying Thank You to God.

And what is most important in prayer? AWARENESS!

We know the perfect prayer. It is the Lord’s Prayer taught to us by Our Lord himself. But even more important than these precious words is knowing that we are in the presence of God.

There is another story by Leo Tolstoy: A bishop is traveling on the Baltic Sea and spots an island in the distance he does not recognize. He asks the captain if he knows it. The captain replies, Bishop, that is a small island where it is said three holy hermits live.

Three holy hermits in my diocese? I need to meet them. They lower a boat and row him ashore, where the three run to greet him. He asks, Are you the three holy hermits I’m told about? They respond, Oh no, we’re just three simple, old men.

The bishop asks if they believe in God and pray. And they say yes. So he asks how they pray. They say, O Holy Trinity, you are three, we are three, have mercy on us. The bishop says, That’s all? And he begins to teach them the Our Father. Time and again they forget a word or two. But when they finally have it memorized, the bishop, feeling good about himself, returns to his ship.

Some time later as they are sailing away, they see a white cloud over the sea approaching fast. When it nears, they see that it is the three old men running over the waves. As they get close, they yell out, O Bishop, we forgot the words. Teach us again. Humbled, he responds, Go back and pray as you were doing. God is with you.

GOD IS WITH US! When we become aware, no words are necessary.

Lastly, what is the best reason to pray? Of course, we have many needs, and many reasons to give thanks. But perhaps the best reason of all is to be more fully aware of our gifts and blessings and to use them to give glory to God.

In the movie, Chariots of Fire, the protagonist, a missionary in China explains to his sister why he has left the mission field temporarily, seeking to make the British Olympic Team in 1924, Because God made me fast. I run to bring pleasure to God. It doesn't take much imagination to see God cheering him on.

Prayer is a time to reflect upon: What gifts has God given me? How am I using them to give pleasure to God? Is God cheering me on?