Pray Always

In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Mt. 6:7-8

A few years ago my role in interfaith ministries took me to the denomination of my youth—the United Pentecostal Church—for several visits.  Through those visits I had the opportunity to reflect deeper on the value of my faith as a Catholic.

By way of a meeting hosted jointly by the mayor of Austin and my organization I made contact with the pastor of the local Pentecostal congregation, who was and is still the president of their denomination’s seminary.  In my discussions with the pastor I had in mind getting his congregation to participate as a member in my organization, seeing from his participation in the mayor’s meeting that he had an interest in community concerns and outreach. 

In our conversations we talked about our faith, and I talked at length about my role as a Catholic deacon.  However, for the time being I withheld the fact that I had at one time been a Pentecostal.  I felt that the chance of being known as an “apostate” from the UPC wouldn’t go well in my persuading one of their national leaders to join a somewhat progressive interfaith organization.  In the process of getting to know the pastor and his congregation I accepted an invitation to attend one of their regular Wednesday evening bible studies.  The lesson was on the passage above, which is from today’s readings.

I suppose the pastor felt that I was mature enough not to take offense at what he had to say; after all, the organization I represented was receiving membership dues from his congregation at this point.  I sat near the front and listened intently while he cited the recitation of the Rosary as an example of how the scripture is ignored, or its law somehow broken, in our times.

I recalled that I had heard the same thing when I was teenage member of the UPC, though at that time I had no idea what the Rosary was.  Even the first two words of the Hail Mary were unknown to me, but I had an argument against it.

As I listened to the pastor’s lesson I seriously considered what he had to say.  I asked myself to what degree he might be correct.  I considered the simple prayer of Jesus, the “Our Father,” and I considered not only the Rosary but also other Catholic prayers such as the Liturgy of the Hours.  In my consideration of the passage's warning of “many words” I weighed what my prayers typically looked like as far their wordiness.  Certainly, I had been given something to consider.  Nevertheless, my familiarity with the Church's teaching guided me through an uneasy place.

In recent months someone brought a question to me that I believe is relevant to what I’m getting at today.  The question was, “Which is most important, to practice the religion of Jesus—and by this I’m not referring to Judaism, but to Jesus’ personal, everyday practice of what he preached—or to practice a religion that is all about Jesus.  My answer to this, simply stated, is that in Catholicism we do not separate the two.  We allow the Holy Spirit to be an active teacher of the Church in our times.

Often we might encounter those who believe that things ought to be the way they were, and whether the way things were was 20 years ago or two thousand years ago makes little difference.  It’s possible to be in error out of the desire to be “historically pure.”  We remember that ours is a living faith—in addition to being a historical faith—imbued with the Holy Spirit as guide and teacher.  The Church speaks to us in our times and situations.

So, while Jesus had a good reason to warn against the practice of praying a multitude of empty and meaningless words, he did not make the warning against the Christian practice of prayer that was to grow out of the Church in the centuries to come.  St. Paul recognizes this in his admonition that we “pray always.”

If we insist only on what once was, and fail to accept what is today, we then fail to understand our faith as living and dynamic, one that speaks to us where we are now.

Note: Today's photo is one of my own, taken in the early evening at St. Thomas More parish in Austin, Texas.

Comments

[Deacon John]

Well Dan, If that was me at that Pentecostal church, I would have got up and explained that the Rosary is really a miniature Gospel, and as we pray the Our Father and Hail Mary, words taken right from scripture, we meditate on the life, death, resurrection, ascension and assumption of Jesus and Mary. And that's why the Catholic Church regards this prayer as the most efficacious next to the Holy Mass! But then again, having been to those type of prayer meetings, I KNOW that they will say something against my Faith, so I would be prepared to give my view of things! This reminds me of the time I heard Jimmy Swaggert proclaim on TV that Mother Teresa was going to hell because she prayed the Rosary. I am so happy that she is beatified now! Then there was the time that Billy Grahm's radio crusade said that those who wear the Brown Scapular were damned. How sad that we have to attack each other's beliefs instead of bringing people to Christ.
Deacon John

[Deacon DW]

I hear what you are saying, John. However, keep in mind though that I was at the Pentecostal congregation representing an organization which I had worked hard for them to join. Essentially, I was there as a salesman.

Like I said, I was in an uneasy place both physically being there, and by facing the pastor's confrontation. Sure, I could have stood up and told them all the way it was, membership or not. I could have said, "Now just wait a minute there preacher..." except, I doubt that I would have been understood and I certainly would not have been the bearer of peace in that particular situation.

Sometimes, actually often, it's best to hear what the other fellow has to say and then weigh it for ourselves personally. Above all, consider the situation. It may be that what's called for is a defense of the faith, or it may be that the time is right to be all ears.

Probably seven years have now past since the time of the event that I wrote about above. If I went back to that particular congregation for any reason whatsoever, I guarantee you that the pastor would remember me, and he would respect me personally as I would him. However, he probably still would find disagreement with my religion, as I might with his, and he likely still preaches the way did then, just as I write and preach the way that I do. There's little that can change the way we are. I consider my not taking the offensive--or the defensive, as it would have been--to be the difference between him and me, and for me it's the better way.

[A Catholic]

Interesting. I'll bet both Muslims and Jews have less a problem with Rosary-praying than do Protestants. A fundamentalist employer once demanded of me to know why his children (enrolled in Catholic school for its better schooling) were given beads. He was a feisty Italian ex-biker from NYC, and he was on the verge of stomping over to see Sister Don't-You-Dare when I eased him about his children possibly being brainwashed. "No, they don't HAVE to pray it, but Mary is Jesus' mother. Praying the Rosary is like giving her a bouquet of roses." Well, that was alright. I hate it when I wiggle out of things that way, tho'.

Like her Son, she is a stumbling block.. as are we, now. The offscouring. Thankfully.

[Gypsy]

A beautiful photo, too, DDW

[MMajor Fan]

A few comments... first of all, how do they respond when asked why Jesus spent hours, sometimes the entire night, in prayer? I bet there would be a bit of a pause if you asked them that. Would you like to ask them if they thought Jesus was babbling like a pagan when he spent hours in prayer to his God the Father? I'd like to hear their answer. Here is the answer. There is a difference between devotional prayer, which can go on for a long as a person feels they need to be in communion with their God (what Jesus was doing when he prayed) and praying for a purpose, to make a request of God, which is what Jesus was referring to in this scripture. If people read line 5 before 6 you have the more complete context, "Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already." Notice that Jesus is saying that as hypocritical as the form of prayer might be, "they have their reward in full already." Jesus is acknowledging that these are mostly prayers of petition and pointing out that even those who pray in poor form and hypocrisy do receive their reward in full. But Jesus recognized that the people needed to understand more fully how to pray, because people in those times often prayed petitioning God for a favor. And so Jesus is teaching that instead of petitioning like the pagans or the hypocrites, to pray in the form of the Our Father. He goes on to explain that it's not because this is a short and sweet prayer, but because instead of lengthy petitions, those who pray should 14 "forgive people" 16 "do not look gloomy and sour and dreary like the hypocrites" and 18 "fasting" "in secret." So Jesus teaches a prayer that is more open ended to the receipt of the favor or healing that the person is praying for and strongly tied to forgiveness. Jesus does not say that the Lord does not have enough time to listen to everyone for however long they pray. Jesus prayed so long that the Apostles often fell asleep. That was because Jesus prayed as a devotional to God the Father. When a Catholic prays the rosary, for example, even if it is for a purpose, such as world peace, or a family healing, it is following the form of an extended devotional to God. Notice that Jesus did not say, "and only say the Our Father once a day, because we are all neat and tidy and short and sweet here." Jesus was teaching them how to pray in its full intention and understanding of God's will. Jesus would have no problem with someone praying the Our Father twenty times in a row if that was how the person was feeling their devotional connection to God. Luke 9:28-30 "Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that he took Peter, James and John and went up the mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the appearance of his countenance was changed, and his raiment became a radiant white. And behold, two men were talking with him. And these were Moses and Elias.... " Now, why did Jesus take Peter, James and John up the mountain to pray if he was only going to say the Our Father once? And why did Peter have tents with them, which he offered to set up for Jesus, Moses, and Elias? Because they were planning to spend not only hours but days in prayer. I do wish people would read the entire gospel and not cherry pick to be uncharitable.

[A Catholic]

I don't think people cherry-pick to be uncharitable.. except for radicals. I think people want to share the Jesus they know and "own," and often it seems for a reason of doing away with mystery. Mystery drives us bonkers, especially when it comes to the Lord of Lords, because we'd like some definitive sign that we're ok, saved, et al. But this is the problem with not letting the content and message be determined by a content-and-message determining body.. the Magisterium. For one passage of Scripture, even I may personally hold 5 different views, but are any of them accurate?