sermon: Prayer is one of the most native and deepest impulses of the soul of man

The liturgy of our seventeenth Sunday teaches us a lesson on the paternal quality of God’s mercy which instills confidence in man who in turn feels the necessity to pray to God. Hence the dictum that prayer is and remains always a native and deepest impulse of man’s soul. This idea is recurrent in our Sunday readings: Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14 and Lk. 11:1-13. In the first two readings Abraham implores the Lord to be more merciful while St Paul speaks of God’s mercy as a reality that every baptized feels in his or her life. And in the gospel, the disciples notice in the life style of Jesus the element of prayer that they would like to practice as well. That is why they asked him to teach them how to pray so that they too may lead a life of prayer. What had moved the disciples was Jesus’ relationship with his Father to whom he prayed very often. And in order to emphasize this truth, the prayer that Jesus taught them began with “Our Father”. Next he gave them a captivating example to offset any doubt on the providential and goodness of God’s care: ‘What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?’ He meant that the Heavenly Father can do much more. In addition to depicting prayer as a “channel for submitting petitions” to God, the Bible portrays it as a method of obtaining personal strength. The vivid example is when Jesus prayed for strength during his agony in the Gethsemane garden before he was betrayed for Crucifixion (Lk 22:43). Ever since that moment, great minds in human history have been pondering on the power and effectiveness of prayers. Shortly after the death of Jesus, James wrote: The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (5:16). St. Augustine of Hippo too is said to have pondered a lot on the power of prayer. When wondering at the uniqueness of prayer he is quoted to have said: “I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.” Mahatma Gandhi meditating on this Christian fact is quoted to have said: Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.” Meditating on prayer, Mother Teresa of Calcutta wrote a book “Everything Starts from Prayer” stressing the power of prayer as a weapon. She once made an expensive joke on this book: “When I was crossing into Gaza, I was asked by a soldier at the check post whether I was carrying any weapons. I replied: Oh yes, my prayer book.” In Gaza, the soldier laughed as he tapped on the saint’s shoulder. Of course this saintly joke does not mean that she perceived prayer as a threatening force, but as a force for service, love and peace, for she wrote: “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace. Hers was similar to the famous prayer of Saint Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon ...” Almost 2,000 years later Catholic figures continue to reinforce the belief in prayer and emphasize its importance. For instance, in his book “An Invitation to Prayer” Pope John Paul II emphasized prayer as the cornerstone of Catholic life. According to this source, the power of prayer is yet to be discovered. On the other hand, it is worthy mentioning that the power of prayer has long been controversial as far as sciences have been concerned. Though some new studies as are registering some of the first scientific evidence that prayer truly works. We may take the example of Neurotheology which concentrates on the person praying. This is because previous studies had looked largely at the people being prayed for. These new investigators have flipped the research model to examine those who personally engage in serious prayer practice. Though the research leaves open the possibility of divine intervention, they don’t claim any “miraculous event.” They instead focus on scientifically quantifiable factors, such as prayer’s ability to prime a more selfless state of mind. This is not an attempt to proselytize! Their position is one of absolute neutrality, from what seems to be operative, they are saying that people experience a selfless love when they pray; and that they appear to be connecting more with humanity and feeling more positively toward humanity as a whole. And in our community we have experienced this: Prayer leads people to be more willing to forgive even the ‘unforgivable’ in their daily life. casimir1958@yahoo.com