SPIRITUAL LIFE MONTHLY REFLECTION
July, 2006ONE’S MEETING WITH GOD IN PRAYER
ROLANDO BONILLA, S.T.
We can say that our first insight of God is laid out from a cultural experience, paved by those closest to us: father, mother, grandparents, uncles, priests, catechists, teachers, etc. And prayer has been one path that ushered us to touch God in a unique way. Here one enters the mystery of the Spirit revealing herself as wisdom, establishing a personal and particular friendship with the believer. Thus, the salvation of humanity in Christ is made manifest and concrete to the mind and heart of a Christian.
It is vital to strive at spiritual maturity in the knowledge of God. Faith is never a finished work; in fact, the ever-growing hunger and thirst of wanting to know God is the very point of departure for yet another craving for a deeper and more enduring union with God. Simeon expressed this when he said: “Master, now you may dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation…”(Lk 2:29, 30).
Before I talk about prayer I want to point out one obstacle to a higher reach in prayer: the tendency to dichotomize the divine and the wordly. This tendency defaces the meaning of the Incarnation, i.e., participation in the divine life; sonship in Christ.
In this dichotomy prayer is elevated so much to the realm of the divine that one desiring to exercise a life of prayer thinks he ought to flee the world and abandon the present. And the one not inclined to do so simply won’t pray. This is untrue. God decided to become human precisely so that without fleeing the world, the human could commune with the divine. This communion is possible only in prayer, conducting us to an encounter with Jesus, the true man, in order that we partake of his divinity.
Prayer is necessary if for anthropological reasons because its roots clutch at seeking answers to those great human enigmas we all ask: “What is a human being? What is the meaning and purpose of our life? What is good, what is sin? What is the cause and purpose of pain? What is the way to true happiness? What is death, judgment, and the reward after life? Finally, what is that ultimate and ineffable mystery that involves our existence, from whom we come and to whom we would arrive?"
Since by nature every human seeks the answers to these questions, naturally then, all humanity is a praying creature. However, the believer seeks his/her answers in Christ. We trust that the answers to all these questions are in Christ who says, “I am the truth, the life and the life (Jn 14:6). I am the light of the world (9:5, 8:12). I am the resurrection and the life (11:25). I am the bread of life (6:35). I am the gate (10:9). I am the good shepherd (10:11). I am the true vine .” (15:1).
Thus, ultimately Christian prayer is a search for Christ who is the full revelation of humanity and of all the answers we seek.
It is apparent then that prayer arises from that freedom God himself has given so that we seek Him, and seeking Him encounters Him and encountering Him, would love Him.
Too, it is important to distinguish between true and false prayer. Although we may be so accustomed to consider praying as a chore, we more often forget that as much as prayer is a search for truth, it is a fruitful endeavor. In this sense, true prayer belongs to one’s existential preoccupations, that is, from that immense restlessness to touch the deeper truth of God and the world. On the other hand, false prayer is a prayer that cannot transcend external realities. For example, prayers that are geared towards daily necessities, prayers performed as obligation, as a habit, and worse, a prayer without conviction.
Moreover, we do not look for good works as consequential fruits of prayer, rather we look for that encounter with the Father in Christ which then bears fruit as the good that we do. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything shall be added unto you (Mt 6:33).” It is important to know this so that one shall not use good works as justification for piety which at times smacks of being patronizing, especially when it does not contribute to the transformation of human reality but breeds dependency and curtails autonomy. On the contrary, good works that arise from one’s encounter with Christ are obviously those inspired by the Spirit, works that promote human freedom and autonomy.
One other thing that weakens the core meaning of prayer is equating it with work. This is false simply because while it is proper and natural for us to work and perform tasks, it is hardly proper or natural for us to work and perform our tasks as Christ would do. Prayer aims at bringing the believer to meet Christ and through this meeting one then ought to conform his/her work according to the Spirit of Christ.
Thus, there are two moments in prayer: one, is the seeking and two, the arrival at truth. When one comes to the second moment, the seeking passes over to contemplation and awe which in turn translates into surrender, gratitude, and praise – a total commitment of the pray-er’s life whose true praises please the God of mercy: “Break the chains of injustice, loose the thongs of the yoke. Share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house, cover the naked and do not hide yourself from your own kin.” (Is 58: 6-7) The prophet Amos says: “Let justice roll down like waters and right relationships like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24) “Would that you understand, it is mercy I desire not sacrifice.” (Mt 12:7, Hos 6:6, Mt 9:12). “When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first, be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”(Mt 5:23-24).
The admiration and awe, the gratitude and contemplation all end in love which alone can unveil the true nature of things and their finality. Prayer, then, makes it possible for us to fall in love with Christ so that we can begin to discover his beauty which makes us beautiful in love and his greatness which makes us great in his service.
Finally, as Christianity sees it then, prayer ought to be understood as a human act which includes the character of a divine gift, animated by the Spirit who indwells us. “No one can call God Father unless moved by the Spirit.” Prayer is given us from two sources: one, from faith and two, the human will, both God’s graces rendered so that we shall know and love, and comprehend the truth revealed in and through Christ. Faith supplies that which escapes the rational mind and the will confirms and accepts that truth of faith, making it worthy to be lived as an essential part of the human longing and questioning.
Reflection Questions:
1. How important is prayer for you?
2. What grace do you think can a believer discover through prayer in his/her life?
3. From your experience do you believe that aside from contributing to your spiritual growth prayer also contributes to your human development?