The Value of Prayer - Fourth Entry

When I was a young priest, the parish to which I was assigned, had the older school children read at the noon Mass. We would practice the readings and then I would have the young people take their seats in the sanctuary where they used “centering” prayer. Now, I must hastily admit that prayer under that designation has been criticized, and rightly so. What I am talking about here is not transcendental meditation or any kind of navel gazing, either. Prayer may be an internal dialogue, but it reaches out to something—someone—greater than ourselves. Children in particular are easily distracted. Because of attention deficit disorders, many young people are heavily medicated in our schools, today. We did not have that then, and I am wary of it now, and so we had the kids sit quietly in the Church in preparation for Mass. They had reviewed the readings and knew what they were going to read. The schoolwork and fun-and-games with their friends had to be shelved for a few minutes, making space for prayer and worship. I asked them to mentally place themselves in God’s presence—sitting next to the tabernacle—across from the priest—in the house of God. Some of them were better at it than others. Making themselves comfortable, they would close their eyes and fold their hands. Not talking, they would relax and let go of all the worries of the day. If they had a test or tough class coming up, they were urged to try and not think about it—put it out of their minds. They would listen to their breathing. The beat of their hearts would slow. Because they had just spent twenty minutes going over the readings, sometimes an application to their own lives would emerge during this time of prayer. A sense of reverence introduced our worship.

Using the holy name of Jesus may also be a part of such prayer. We are taught that Jesus is the only name that saves. Our Lord makes himself available to those who call him. When we use his name, his message and all the wonderful stories quickly flash before our minds. Like a mantra, we can softly repeat his name, exhaling as we pronounce it; the name becomes an element of our breathing. The beating of our hearts and our breathing are signs of life. Uttering the holy name as we breath reminds us that Jesus is the source of both life and eternal life. Prayer is as essential as the air we breathe. We breathe out the word, “Jesus” We draw the word out with our breath. Repeatedly we do this in a wonderful exercise of prayer. Images of Jesus flash before our minds—at Cana—in the Jordan—on the Sea of Galilee—at the Mount of the Beatitudes—at the temple in Jerusalem—with his friends at the Last Supper—in the Garden of Gethsemane—on Calvary. He was the one who forgave sins and healed the sick. The Jews believed that a person’s name brings with it the whole identity of a person. It was for this reason that the saving name of God revealed to Moses was rarely spoken or written. Also, calling upon the name of someone, without attaching preferential honors, usually meant superiority or some claim upon them. Jesus is the revelation of the Father, who humbly submits to the mission given him of redeeming a people. When the lesser calls upon the greater it is never in terms of a demand but of a request. We call upon the name of Jesus as creatures beseeching the mercy of the Creator. The word Jesus means Savior, not just for the Hebrew or Semitic peoples, but for all who would trust in the saving name. We invoke divine peace and healing as we repeat the name of Jesus, not loudly, but as a breathy whisper. All distractions are shut out. The only sound we hear is the rhythmic repetition of “Jesus”. There is no one else who can rescue us. As Peter confessed—where else could we go? Only Jesus has the words of eternal life.

As I said, the young people with whom I worked used centering prayer before Mass. But, we can use it before other forms of prayer and spiritual reading. It can help put us in the right state of mind for other spiritual practices. Without wanting to make it overly pragmatic and earthbound, it can also do wonders for the blood pressure, particularly when we are angered or stressed out by things that might strain our Christian posture.

Personal prayer is always connected to corporate prayer and faith. We do not come to God alone. Most of us, who were baptized, came to the font in the arms of our parents and godparents. We profess the same creed and worship in the way that Christ gave us and as it is prescribed by the Church. Just as the moral life must be informed by the faith, so does the spiritual life need content and guidance from the sacred deposit and the legacy of the saints. At the same time that we pray, other Christians around the world are praying in solidarity with us and in union with Christ.

The true Christian does not embrace any kind of quietism or passivity to a vacuum or nothingness as one might argue the Buddhists do. If our prayer is to be efficacious, then we must first know the one to whom we are praying. It is no wonder that an ignorance of faith and Scripture has led to the loss of genuine prayer. I mentioned earlier that prayer is love-talk and yet how can you love one you do not know? You cannot. However, once the process begins, one feeds the other. God reveals himself to us and we respond with love. The more we love him, the more we struggle to know him better. The more we know him, our devotion intensifies. While it might seem crass, we even see something of this pattern in romantic love. Have you ever noticed the silly talk between young lovers? Serious questions will be asked, but also things like: What’s your favorite color? Do you prefer my red, pink or blue dress? Do you really think my eyes look like pools of water?” They want to know everything there is know about the beloved. That is how it should also be in our relationship with God. In addition to questions, there is also a similarity in the flirtation that emerges from our lips. A man may tell a woman that she is his queen; that there is none to compare with her; and that she is his everything! He will even seek to lower himself as unworthy of her affection and hand in marriage. Well, prayer to God can be amazingly similar. “Most wonderful Savior, you are our heavenly King. Only Son of the almighty Father, you graciously deigned to be born of a Virgin and to offer your life for miserable and unworthy men and women. Make us despise all things save Jesus Christ Crucified!”