Prayer is one of the pillars of how we ought to live in Lent. Almsgiving and fasting are the other two pillars. The Church invites us to pray more in Lent because prayer enables us to enter more deeply into relationship with God. In prayer, God can change our lives around. We should aspire for this hope in Lent.
Today I’d like to share with Fr Mike Schmitz’s video reflection on “The Power of Prayer.” He makes the following points (paraphrased) to help us better appreciate the meaning of prayer and its power:
“Our prayer doesn’t change God. God does not change. Our prayer changes us instead.
God changes things through our prayer. In calling us to prayer, God changes us. One way God does this is by extending to us “the dignity of being causes”. That is, we become the causes of God’s goodness in the world. In this way, we enter into cooperation with God to bring about God’s plan for the world. This is how we become actors of God’s plan to save all. God wants the goodness of God’s love and life to be shared in the world with all, but God needs us to do this.
We can become “the cause of God’s plan” because prayer changes us. This happens because of our relationship with God in prayer. Through this relationship, God shapes our lives. Through prayer, we come to know God more intimately and to know how God — who is all good — wants us to do good in the world. As we come to know God more intimately, we come to love him. By loving him, we slowly become like him.”
Based on the video, here are the questions for your reflection and prayer this week:
- What do you pray most often for? Why?
- Is your prayer changing you, especially to become “the cause of God’s plan” in the world? Can you describe how prayer is changing you?
- In your prayer, what is God saying to you as a person with SSA about who you are to God? Who then is this God for you?
You can access the video here: https://www.youtube.com/
Words of Encouragement for this week
“If you find it impossible to pray, hide behind your good angel and charge him to pray in your stead.” – Saint John Vianney
