In the very first days of his Pontificate, Pope Francis proclaimed the importance of prayer. In a daily homily he said:
“The Lord tells us the first task in life is prayer. But not the prayer of words, like a parrot; but the prayer of the heart gazing on the Lord, hearing the Lord, asking the Lord.”
This Blog, Praying Alone Together, has the goal to explain, support and encourage the prayer Pope Francis describes. I use the term “deep personal prayer” to identify this kind of prayer.
In The Catechism of the Catholic Church there are several definitions of prayer. One from St. John Damascene states: “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God”.
Our “good things” often conflict with God’s “good things”. A significant part of the Christian life is learning to discern the difference and importance of our self-perceived “good things” and the “good things” of God. More often than not, our “good things” are wrapped in the false values of our materialistic and consumer driven culture rather than the values of the Gospel.
For most people, a good part of their journey as Christians or as searching people involves this transition from our plan for happiness to God’s plan for our happiness. We are clear with what we want and what we think we need. It is like the adult list for Santa. However, through the experience of life’s many trials leading to a more loving awareness of the wisdom and beauty of the gospel, we gradually see the need for change. This eventually leads to the long and costly process of letting go and letting God. We become serious about making God the center of our lives. This spiritual growth is one of the important functions of the journey to contemplative prayer, the true goal of all spiritual growth. Deep personal prayer plays a critical role in this transformation.
In these pages I use two spiritual giants to define the prayer that I describe as deep personal prayer. Thomas Merton explains prayer as follows: “Prayer then means yearning for the simple presence of God, for a personal understanding of God’s word, for knowledge of God’s will, and for the capacity hear and obey God.”
In Merton’s definition of prayer, God is our true focus. We search for understanding and direction in our lives that will guide us toward God. Our call to contemplation becomes clearer in this style of prayer. We find five key points in Merton’s definition of prayer.
- All prayer must raise our awareness and lead us to pay attention to God’s presence.
- We need to engage God’s word. This is first and foremost through the Bible but it also is in the experiences of life.
- The involvement with God’s word leads us to God’s will. This begins a process of undermining selfishness and encouraging generosity toward God and others. Prayer is critical in this enlightenment.
- In this style of prayer, listening is the most important feature.
- Finally, as we grow in understanding of God’s word and seeking God’s will, the Spirit directs us to follow Jesus.
