Bible
Study: Sirach 48, 1 to 14 and Matthew 6, 7 to 15.
Words are powerful. One way
we resemble God is in our ability to use words. Just as God spoke and it came
to be, when we speak, it happens! With words, we can actually control the
world. How? The same world that listened to God at creation listens to us.
The words we use have a way
of defining our reality. Aren’t you surprised how you start talking about somebody
and all of a sudden, that person shows us from no-where? Or say you are talking
about a particular brand of car and the next thing you know, almost everywhere
you turn, you see that same car? What is really happening is that words attract
the realities they portray!
Now, if words just spoken on
their own are already so powerful, how much more powerful they become when they
are actually addressed to the one who created the heavens and the earth and is
in control of all that is? It is precisely for this reason that Jesus Christ
told us not to use many words when we pray!
Jesus says we should not be
like the Gentiles who heap up words hoping that by the multiplicity of words,
they would be heard. This means our faith should not be based on the volume of
words we utter but in the power behind each word we use and how God himself creates
reality in obedience to the words we use.
In raising Lazarus, Jarius’
daughter and the only son of the widow of Nain from the dead, does it surprise
you that Jesus prayed only a single sentence? By the time we begin to use many
words, it shows that we lack faith because we do not really believe we have
said it the way God would hear so we keep repeating the same thing over and
over again.
By proceeding to teach us
how to pray, Jesus wants us to understand that in talking to God, we do not just
say anything we feel like or whatever comes to our head. Prayer has to be
formulated, pre-meditated upon and meaningful.
The idea of asking people to
just open their mouths and pray in a church or in a gathering wherein everybody
starts talking and shouting within a confined space may not give the opportunity
for any of them to reflect on the meaning of what they are saying. And what is
the point talking to God if your words do not mean anything to you.
Just as we would be careful
to write our speech when we want to address a person in authority, the “Our Father”
is a sample of a written formula for addressing God. It is the reason why the
Catholic Church uses formulas and it is the mould on which these prayers are
composed. People who accuse us of not knowing how to pray do so because they
believe in the Gentile manner of prayer which is based on heaping on words upon
words.
In the “Our Father”, we find
certain elements that must inform our prayer anytime, any day. These include:
Adoration (praise God), Contrition (sorrow for past sins), Thanksgiving (appreciation
for the past, present and future) and Supplication (mentioning the specific
need). It also contains an agreement with God; that unless we forgive others their
offences against us, he is free to deny us forgiveness of our own sins. Any
prayer that is lacks these elements is incomplete.
Most often our supplication takes
all the space in our prayer, thanksgiving is sparing and adoration and
contrition is virtually missing. It shows how ungrateful we are and why we
think God has not done anything for us as well as why we lack faith even in the
possibility of God doing more. It is not enough to say “God I thank you”,
mention the things he did for you; count your blessing. It is not enough to say
“God I am sorry”, if you must be specific with your supplications, then be
specific with your contrition; mention the sins.
If we actually pray well,
the act of prayer ceases from being an opportunity to vent our frustrations or
remind ourselves of things we fantasize about. The act of prayer ceases from
being a sleeping tablet or a meaningless good morning ritual. Praying well nourishes
us spiritually, mentally, puts us in tune with where we are in our relationship
with God, helps us appreciate life more, helps us repent of our daily faults
and even releases our minds from past grudges and offences of others. Good praying
equals good living.
Let us Pray:
O God, help us pray as Jesus
taught us and may our prayer achieve its aim both in terms of what we ask for
and what prayer itself does within our spirits. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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