Don't "just" Pray?

[tinytherese]

I'm no longer discerning the religious life, but I thought that this was a topic best suited here. Two sundays ago, when the Gospel was the parable about the persistent widow and the judge, the priest discussed in his homily how prayer is good, but that we shouldn't "just" pray. I can see the value of that statement to a certain extent, that prayer can be how we receive the strength to carry on our mission to say promote the pro-life movement, but I also felt uncomfortable by what he said.

What about St. Monica, who prayed for many years for her son's conversion so that we now have St. Augustine or how St. Stephen when he was martyred prayed for his persecutors, one of them being who we now call St. Paul? Prayer is very important.

Also, what about nuns and monks in the contemplative life whose apostolate is prayer. Their prayers are very powerful. I've heard people make the claim that they are not "useful" or that they "are not doing anything but pray." Not doing anything BUT pray or they're JUST praying? Wow, such people have got it wrong.

[MithLuin]

I think the traditional wisdom is 'Pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you.' Not 100% good catechesis there, but it gets at the idea that we do pray and trust God...but that we keep putting in our best effort and working towards the goal. It's like what St. James pointed out about wishing someone well, but not providing for their needs. Faith and action go hand in hand - [i]Ora et labora[/i], as the Benedictines put it.

[TeresaBenedicta]

I think I'd have raised my eyebrows as well if I heard that homily. Especially since, in our day in age, it's more likely that people will focus on the "do" and skip the prayer part altogether. It's true that grace builds on nature, and one of the implications of this truth is that we are to do our part with our own effort, then let God's grace work through our efforts.

We all have our own "work" that God calls us to... for some people, that work is very active. For others, it [i]is[/i] prayer.

Honestly, my guess is that this priest was thinking of prayer in a very simplistic way-- what we do when we ask God for something or need something. But, as we know, prayer is so much more than petition and intercession (which are certainly important!)... it is the means of the transforming union of the soul and God. When looked at from that point of view, prayer is really the ONLY essential component. But we have to remember that a soul truly growing in prayer is also growing in knowledge and grace, meaning that they will be ever more attentive to God's will and ever more surrendered to whatever work God wishes to use them for.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

A priest once explained to me that the contemplative orders are the foundation of the church. They keep the rest of us going. Also, he said if you ever needed to know what was going on in the world, to go to a monestary -- they'd be praying for everything important!

[HopefulBride]

I think perhaps what he might have meant was to pray AND work, at times we fail to act in a way that is in union with our prayer. I did not hear the entire homily but I remember the Gospel parable and I can see how not just praying but trusting and living out our trust would be preached.

[krissylou]

Well, hmmm.

I didn't hear the whole thing, obviously.

But he wasn't preaching to a cloistered community. He's talking to a regular parish, most of whom could use some prodding to get off their butts.

In my life, when I'm struggling with something and people who are in a position to help me just say "I'll pray for you" it feels rather like a slap in the face. Thank you for prayer, absolutely, BUT WILL YOU PLEASE GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND HELP ME OUT HERE???

Prayer, alone, CAN BE an abdication of responsibility. Which is bad.

And also, I often hear from people in the front lines who are doing all they can, and seeing that their efforts are so inadequate for the need, they pray a LOT -- and their prayers take on a different character because they come alongside action.

I like to think that's what he was trying to get at.

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='krissylou' timestamp='1288010478' post='2182297']
- and their prayers take on a different character because they come alongside action.

[/quote]

I couldn't have put it better.

[Hinter dem Horizont]

In my opinion, to not "just" pray means that we should rely on doing God's work in other ways alongside of praying. Jesus prayed alone but He also preached and did His Father's work in the streets and temples. We should pray ardently, yes, but we should also be a guide for the lost souls by showing them the light. How do we do that? Simply, we preach and teach.

[CatherineM]

In our parish, the prayer groups are full, but financially we can barely keep the heat on. We have to beg people to volunteer to do things. We can't get anyone to help with a funeral dinner, but 40 people showed up for the way of the cross. I'm not saying we shouldn't pray either, but in some parishes, people think that is all they need to do.

[Sister Rose Therese]

I didn't hear the homily, but I think I know what he was getting at.

We must pray, but we can't stop there. God wants the whole of you.

St. Monica prayed many years for her son, but that doesn't mean that's all she did. She shed many tears for him. I'm sure she offered many sacrifices with her prayer. She also gave great example by living a holy life. She may have talked to him numerous times.

Think of the parable that Jesus told about the man who built his house on sand vs. the man who built his house on rock. The house built on sand was washed away. Jesus explained that the man who built his house on rock was the one who put the Gospel into practice.

Monks and nuns do pray and are away from the world but that doesn't mean they are "just" praying. Their works may be hidden, but they do work. Our prayers mean very little without an attempt to live as Christ taught us.

[vee]

I like how Teresa of Avila puts it when she says "God can be found admist the pots and pans."

[abrideofChrist]

The Apostle James probably had the same thing in mind when speaking of faith and good works. Substitute "prayer" for faith...

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2: 14-17

[holly.o]

[quote name='vee8' timestamp='1288368112' post='2183453']
I like how Teresa of Avila puts it when she says "God can be found admist the pots and pans."
[/quote]

Yes... and she placed a high value on prayer, so she would never downplay its importance and need. But she definitely understood, as others have pointed out, that prayer is a constant conversation and includes deeds. It's our basis for loving action. St. Faustina said mercy is the flower of love... so actions bloom from prayer!

Of course, you can flip this backwards and show the emptiness of deeds without prayer. Mindless working... or working for ourselves and not God.... which I'm quite guilty of sometimes...

[Starets]

I think a lot of it goes back to the Benedictine virtues of balance and moderation.

on one level, my abbey is a 30,000+ square foot house with 2 dozen bedrooms, almost as many bathrooms, some meeting rooms, a library, some office space, a chapel, a fully functional church and sacristy, a laundry room, a commercial kitchen and pantry, a dining room that can seat 100 if we ask it nicely, some parlours, and a gift shop. Someone has to keep this place clean! We all take turns cleaning and maintaining the house, not to forget serving meals to each other and the guests. And lots of dishes. Twice a week, I bake bread and cookes.

Yes, prayer is very important to our lives. The Divine Office is our first priority, as per the Rule of St, Benedict. But we also work hard to keep ourselves in the lap of poverty

[vee]

[quote name='Staretz' timestamp='1288452206' post='2183633']
. [b]Someone has to keep this place clean![/b] We all take turns cleaning and maintaining the house, not to forget serving meals to each other and the guests. And lots of dishes. Twice a week, I bake bread and cookes.

[/quote]

Get the animals to help!

[img]http://www.notcoming.com/animation/images/mk_helpfulanimals.gif[/img]



[quote]Twice a week, I bake bread and cookies.[/quote]

I believe none of this until samples are provided for assessment and verification on vocation station