Prayer
A spiritual reflection
Editor’s Note: Fr. Ben Daghir led a prayer service and shared the following homily on prayer. He focuses on “what prayer is not” and “what prayer is.” He also discusses “who” changes during prayer.
Sometimes, it’s helpful to know what something isn’t. What isn’t prayer?
Prayer is not like a parachute.
Think of when a parachute is used. It’s at the precise moment when a person falls from the sky and needs the last resort. It is a last-ditch effort.
Prayer is not to be viewed as the thing we do when everything else seems to have failed. The proper place of prayer is not at the bottom of the to-do list either. This means that prayer is not to be reduced to a final consideration, “I need to do this, that, then this, and if those don’t work…then I’ll consider prayer.”
We should be praying “unceasingly,” as St. Paul says. This means moments when we feel helpless and moments when we are in complete control. Referring to the analogy of the parachute, this means that we pray before our feet leave the ground, while we are in the airplane, falling from the sky when life seems out of control, and after we’ve safely touched the ground. We should pray "unceasingly " instead of only the moments when we, or someone we know, need a parachute.
Yet, we tend to pray only when we feel as if we’ve exhausted all other efforts. Again, prayer is not like a parachute.
What else isn’t prayer?
Prayer is not like spiritual coins. It’s not some spiritual currency exchanged with Heaven. The Lord isn’t some accountant who says, “Alright, Ben Daghir has handed over a sufficient amount of spiritual coins these past few weeks, and now I’ll answer his request.”
Yet, there is always the tendency to think that if a certain number of prayers are said or a certain number of people offer a certain number of prayers, the prayer will be answered based on spiritual currency. Prayer is not like spiritual coins.
What is prayer if it’s not like a parachute or spiritual coins?
Prayer is a conversation with God. Prayer is an encounter with the Lord, who desires to speak, listen, and love us. God is intensely interested in conversing with us. He is deeply interested in our concerns, struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, and desires. Although the Lord already knows them all, He takes joy in speaking with us.
I want to conclude this short homily with something very important.
Who changes during prayer?
Does prayer seek to change God’s mind and will? Of course not. God is all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing, and all-good. God is perfect. We do not want God to change. The thought of God changing is a complete misunderstanding of any situation or concern, no matter how complex or challenging life can become. Prayer seeks not to change God’s will but to open our minds and hearts to receive His will.
Therefore, prayer seeks to change us and those we are praying for. I’ll be the first to admit I am not all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing, and all-good. I am not perfect.
I need God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to change me.
Fr. Ben Daghir
