In my last column, regarding the violence in Syria, I wrote
that "The power of our prayer cannot be underestimated." It
is a profound truth that prayer is the most powerful
spiritual tool we possess. Why? Because through raising our
minds and hearts to God, we are placing our trust not in our
own abilities, but in the Lord Who is not only all-knowing
and all-powerful, but also who loves us infinitely more than
we love ourselves.
When we talk about the power of prayer, it is easy to
conceive of this strength in earthly terms. Yet, prayer is
not powerful in the same way as having a large amount of
money to spend - just because you say many prayers does not
mean that you will receive a big house or a dream job. Nor do
your prayers change God; our prayers do not convince Him to
desire something new for us that He did not previously
desire. After all, God is on our side; He always wants what
is best for us.
Prayer is powerful because it is the way in which we enter
more fully into a personal relationship with God: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Only by being united with Him will we find
truth, inner peace and ultimate happiness in heaven. The Lord
really longs for us to come to Him with our joys, our
sorrows, our hopes and our disappointments.
The first and the highest form of prayer is the Mass itself.
At every Eucharistic Sacrifice, we unite ourselves to Christ
in offering ourselves fully to the Lord. During the Liturgy
of the Eucharist, the priest asks us to lift up our hearts,
to which we respond "we lift them up to the Lord." Let this
truly be a moment of authentic prayer - willingly
participating in the Liturgy of the Eucharist by entering
into prayerful dialogue with God. During the Mass, we listen
to His Word, reflect on His teaching, offer our gifts, which
then are transformed into his Real Presence; then we receive
back His Body and Blood, Christ Jesus Himself. Indeed, the
Mass shows us that whenever we make a prayerful offering to
the Lord, we receive one-hundred fold, because the Lord gives
us the greatest treasure we could receive - the gift of
Himself.
Devotions such as the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary and
the Divine Mercy Chaplet are also excellent ways to commit
regularly to prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours is a wonderful
way to sanctify our entire day with prayer by reading the
Psalms and consecrating morning, evening and night to the
Lord. By praying the Rosary, we seek the intercession of the
most faithful disciple, Mary, and her motherly guidance in
our lives. The Divine Mercy Chaplet recognizes God's
boundless love for us as we humbly ask that His Mercy be
poured upon us.
Of course, just as the Lord speaks to us through the Mass,
the Scriptures, and the Church, we too can speak personally
to Him. If you are unsure where to start, I recommend the use
of an acronym that you may be familiar with: ACTS.
- First, Adoration: just as the Our Father begins with the
words "Hallowed be Thy Name", we too can begin to pray by
praising the Lord for His goodness, His love, His mercy.
Remember, all that is good comes from the Lord!
- Second, Contrition: It is a valuable practice to recall
your sins not only during the Sacrament of Penance, but
daily. In a nightly Examination of Conscience, recall those
times you failed to live up to the Lord's commandments and
express to Him your sorrow. The Lord is always ready to
forgive; He waits only for you to ask.
- Third, Thanksgiving: While it may sometimes seem not to be
so, each one of us has numerous blessings in our lives. Thank
the Lord for your family, your friends, the beauty of nature,
the moments of grace you received during the day.
- Fourth, Supplication: Each of us has concerns and hopes,
both for ourselves and for others. Bring all of these
petitions to the Lord! He may not always answer in the way
that you expect, but He will always respond to your prayers
in a way that will help you to grow in holiness and love.
As I mentioned above, anything we give to the Lord, we
receive back a hundred-fold. It is certainly this way with
prayer. You will find that the more you enter into a personal
relationship with God through prayer, the more that your own
heart will change. Gradually you will increasingly realize
all the blessings present in your life, all that you have to
be thankful for. It may be that the more you fall in love
with Christ, the more aware you will be of your own
trespasses against Him, and so your contrition will become
increasingly sincere. And, you may eventually find that the
nature of your petitions will change. Instead of praying for
specific outcomes - that you are offered a particular job,
that you meet your future spouse, that you recover from an
illness - you may come to pray, like Jesus, "Your will be
done."
In fact, this is the goal of our Christian journey: to come
to a moment where we desire only to carry out the Lord's
will. Of course, His will is what actually will bring us true
happiness! Prayer is powerful, it will transform your
relationship with God and, therefore, change entirely the
trajectory of your life.