Thoughts related to the questions of how and why prayer.
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
Prayer taught by Christ
Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray in the scriptures from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew. There we find the prayer, Heavenly Father. More than just a prayer, it is a beautiful prayer that contains many things, such as the attitude we should have while praying, the realizations we should have within us, what we should pray for and so on.
Lord’s Prayer
We all memorize this prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our bread. As we have forgiven our debtors, forgive us our debts. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil.”
God the Father
When Christ, the Son of God, comes to earth to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation, what is available to us is the call and the possibility to become sons of God. This is what we unknowingly commemorate at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father which art in heaven”. We must know whom to pray to. Usually we start any conversation by addressing the person in front of us. Jesus begins his prayer with this realization. By presenting God as Father before us. Prayer is a conversation and interpretation to a loving father.
According to Christianity, by God we are referring to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Knowing who we are praying to and praying to can help us better organize our prayers. When we pray as children, we should pray freely, with firm faith that we are praying to a God who answers our prayers.
Glory be to God’s name
With a heart full of gratitude to God, our prayers should aim at His glory. We pray with childlike freedom to a God who changes everything for good, who turns everything into blessing. Praying for His blessings, thanking Him for His love and care will result in more blessings being available. Words of praise and thanksgiving are also a way to open heaven.
Pray according to God’s will
We often express our needs in prayer. We can also know that it is a part of freedom for children. But Jesus shows us through his prayer and his life that we should strive to know God’s will and pray for the blessing to live according to it. Even as the experience of the cross comes to the fore, Jesus sits in the garden of Gethsemane and prays, “Father, not my will, but yours be done.” If we have a faith in ourselves that He is preparing all things for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His plan, we will not hesitate to pray to live according to God’s will. The key is to have a belief that God knows what is good for us better than we do. To come to this knowledge, we must have a strong relationship with God. There should be a realization that goodness is God.
Submit assignments
“Give us today the food we needed then”. Food is one of the most basic needs. This is often a difficult part for us to understand. What is important to us may be some need that we consider great. Prayer is often reduced to supplication for the impossible. But telling God even our smallest things and asking for His help is one of the most important things in spiritual life. As we said at the beginning, life itself becomes prayer when we say everything, always to God, knowing his will, with the freedom of children to the Father. Whatever our need, we should have the freedom to speak openly before God. Where is our true freedom if not in the presence of the Father who knows us and loves us?
Forgive, ask for forgiveness and pray
“Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors” We should not stand before God with grudges against others. God is their father too. He is a forgiving God. But Christ says in verses fourteen and fifteen; “If you forgive the trespasses of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. If you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you.” A good, untainted relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is very important in prayer. If our prayers are not being heard, let’s take a look at our hearts and lives. Do we have a heart close to God’s children? How much have I been able to possess the attitude and generosity of Christ, the Son of God?
Pray constantly
Christ teaches us about how to pray in the 18th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke in verses one to eight. Jesus gives us a model for prayer by telling the parable of a widow and an unjust judge. A judge who neither feared God nor respected men, and a widow who had suffered injustice from other men and had no other means, came before the judge asking for justice to be done for her against her adversaries. Finally, the judge decides to do justice to the widow, who has been bothering him constantly, to save him from trouble. After telling this parable, the Lord also tells us; God will bring justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night. Pray constantly. Pray to the Father, the loving God, with a sense of right and independence for your children. If an ordinary widow can change the mind of an unrighteous judge, how much more acceptable will our prayers be before the righteous God, who regards us as His children! He will be the God who never leaves us, lovingly blesses us and walks with us.
When should we pray to God?
We are often not very clear about when to pray to God. Like many holy men, Pope Francis has often spoken in this regard. On Sunday, October 16, 2022, during the midday prayer at the Vatican, the Pope spoke about the importance of prayer and how to pray. One of the most important things is this. There is no specific time or period for prayer. The key is to always pray. May it be beads, may it be chants, may it be any other prayers, regardless of time or season, always live with the thought of God. Always have God’s name on your tongue. Make life itself a prayer. Prayer does not deprive us of our joys, but sanctifies and enhances them. If prayer is a conversation with God, prayer is presenting our whole life before God like an open book. There, when we know God’s will and are ready to live according to it, we begin the life of true children of God.
Let’s live as praying children of God
We all strive to maintain good friendships with our friends as long as possible. Be it a phone call, a text message, a letter, a visit, whatever the means, we don’t want to lose the people we think love us. Our relationship with God should be like this. Let us strive never to lose the love of God, who loves us more than our parents, more than our friends, and why not ourselves. With the freedom close to children, we can constantly and diligently seek God’s will and live according to the example of Jesus, the Holy Mother and the saints. Let life itself become prayer. Let us live in holiness, surrendering our lives completely before the all-knowing God. Let’s enrich our every moment by walking with the God who created us, birthed us, and cares for us. May God, who desires our good above us, and who lovingly showers us with mercy, bless us always to walk according to His will.