PRAYER IS...

On Sunday, my priest started his homily with "If I were to give you a homework assignment to fill in the blank to the phrase "Prayer is____." What would you say? He basically lost me at that point, but it did make me start thinking. How would I fill in that blank? It's a simple question, yet very complex, I thought.

Prayer is the link between an Almighty God and the human race. It is how we make our needs known to God, yet, it is also the way we praise the same Almighty God. Prayer is not merely speaking, but also encompasses our thoughts and our actions. Singing is a form of prayer, as is simply being silent. Prayer is a two way form of communication with an inaudible voice. Prayer is so simple that a child can understand it, yet at the same time so complex that all the world's theologians together cannot even scratch the surface on what prayer truly is. I believe that all prayers are answered. I believe that prayer is powerful. Some people believe that if a prayer is not answered in the affirmative, then it has not been answered. On the contrary, I believe that a "no" may be just as legitimate answer as "yes". If you go to your earthly father and ask for something and he says "no", has not your "prayer" been answered? Indeed it has. Jesus told us to pray always. That certainly can't mean talk all the time. That's where the listening part comes in, for if we spend all our time talking, we may miss the answer. Prayer may take on many forms. Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Christians all pray. These different spiritual traditions approach prayer quiet differently. In each, it would seem, that the common thread is that prayer is a communion with God. Even within Christianity, with which I have the most experience, prayer is viewed differently between denominations, sometimes even within the same denomination. Many protestants do not understand why Catholics would pray to a Saint. Many Catholics don't understand why a protestant wouldn't pray to a Saint. Something meant to unite us, it would seem, causes such division.

I've been Southern Baptist, United Methodist and Roman Catholic. I've always been intrigued by prayer. When I was confirmed Catholic, I chose David, a patron saint of Prayer, as my own saint. I've always viewed prayer as an important and essential part of life. I think that's common among the majority of people. Most of us, if we are truly being honest with ourselves and everyone else, only pray when we "need" something from God, as if God is some magic granter of wishes somewhere beyond the blue. It only takes one tragedy to get our prayer lives right back on track and how quickly afterwards it usually dissipates.

Prayer is a discipline. It takes practice. And, just like getting in the routine of going to the gym everyday, it takes time to get in the habit. I've experimented with "Centering Prayer", which I've found quiet effective, but never developed a regular routine of practicing. I even have two beautiful rosaries in my house, yet, seven and a half years after becoming Catholic, I still don't know how to pray the rosary.

Here's my confession: Prayer has not been a priority in my life of late. A number of years ago, I began writing letters to God as a way of expressing my prayers, rather than bumbling around talking, saying trite and meaningless phrases and getting nowhere with my prayer life. I must confess that while prayer is important to me, I don't do it nearly as often as I should. It has probably been a year or so since I've written anything in my prayer journal. I've said a few prayers here and there, but, far more often than not, prayer is an out of sight, out of mind activity for me. I pray that I might find the discipline to take a few moments each day to get back on track.