PRAYERS AS A MEANS OF BUILDING UP CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY By Tobe Eze

PRAYERS AS A MEANS OF BUILDING UP CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY

A prayer less Christian, they say, is a powerless Christian, Hillary Eze in this piece portrays how one can build up one’s spirituality through prayer.

            “Lord teach us how to pray, as John taught his disciple” (Lk. 11:1)

INTRODUCTION

            Our everyday life is full of activities which have continued linger and encroach into another day. But owing to the fact that there is a being in control of both the past, the present and the future, it is fitting to chart our activities through him. It is good to communicate with him, converse with him each day to strengthen us for the business of the days ahead, or to know what he has in stock for us.

Understanding the importance of prayer, the apostles requested Jesus to teach the how to pray (Matt. 6:9-13). In addition, Jesus in the gospel of (Lk. 18:2) encourages, His apostles to always pray and not lose heart. It is in prayer that we can fully realize ourselves, appreciate God for his good deeds upon us and ask for more, like Oliver Twist. It is by this powerful weapon that we can recognize God as the creator, who created us in his own image and likeness, and have faith in him that he does anything we ask him, through his Son Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:14). With prayer, God shows us the way to eternal life, just as he showed Abraham in the Old Testament. Prayer is an essential tool for spiritual development. It makes us commune with God and do that, which pleases Him. Effective prayer solidifies Christian faith.

THE CONCEPT OF PRAYER

 St. Teresa of Avila, in her book entitled Life’ explained prayer as “an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who, we know, loves us”.

The catechism of the Catholic Church defines prayer as, the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God (No_ 2590) is a great religious act. It is also a concept familiar and central in every known religion though its interpretation and usage may vary from one religion to another. In the Christian context, the classical definition of prayer by the apostolic fathers, is the act of speaking to God. Therefore, prayer means the act of conversation between mortal (a man) and immortal (God). St. Bonaventure, in his own view, sees prayer as a journey from the body to the spirit; it is a journey to God.

To crown it all, prayer is a communication, union, awareness, encounter, conversation, relationship and communion with God, it is a total turning to God.

TYPES OF PRAYER

 It is pertinent to know that there are types of prayer and situation that we make use of each type. They are:

Vocal prayer: This prayers is being said publicly, for all to hear and join in it. This prayer comes out verbally from our hearts. However, too many words do not determine the effectiveness of our prayer, but the heart, which is praying, Jesus taught his apostles this type of prayer, when he taught them “our Lord’s prayer” (Matt. 6:9-13). Human beings consist of body and soul, and as the body lacks, so the soul lacks. Therefore, we have to pray with our whole being, to give all possible power to our supplications.

Mental prayer: This prayer comes from inside of us to outside. It is a mental prayer. This is an internal discussion with God. Here the soul is more active, and that is why it can be called silent prayer. Jesus asked his apostles to use this kind of prayer in Matt. 6:6 “if you want to pray, go in and lock yourself, for your Father sees in secret and he will answer you in secret”. This type of prayer elevates people’s spiritual wellbeing. So, Christians should engage in this type of prayer so as to grow spiritually.

Contemplative prayer: In this method of prayer, one takes time to stay alone with God, knowing that he loves one. The attention here is on God, staying with the Lord and listening to him. Mary a sister to Lazarus engaged in this type of prayer as she often staged at the feet of Jesus listening to him when he visited. In the prayer, one does not ask for any favour, one totally remains silent and listens as God speaks. This prayer takes place in one’s heart.

Adoration/Thanksgiving: This is the highest type of type of prayer. It is being use to appreciate God’s goodness to mankind. Mary as recorded in Lk. 1:46-55, made this type of prayer (THE MAGNIFICAT) and also, the Benedictus of Zachariah in Lk. 1:68. In Act 2:2-13. On the Pentecost day, the apostles glorified God when the Holy Spirit descended on them. Thanksgiving appears to be the best prayer because the source and summit of Christian life, which is the Holy Eucharist entails giving thanks. It is derived from the Greek word Eucharistein, meaning thanksgiving.

Prayer of intercession: This is an important type of prayer. The Holy Mother church recognize three groups of Christians. They are the church triumphant, the church militants and the church suffering. The church triumphant are those who have died and are in heaven, they intercede for the church militant, while the church militant are the Christians that are still alive, we pray for the suffering, and the church suffering are the Christians who are in purgatory they depend on our prayer to be liberated from the punishment of their sins. The saints pray for us and we pray for those in purgatory. Intercessory prayer helps us in our life because, we pray for those we do not know physically, and those we do not know also pray for us. The blessings gained from this kind of prayer are unquantifiable. This prayer has no boundary, Abraham’s prayer on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, is a typical example of this type of prayer.

WHY PRAYER ARE SOMETIMES UNANSWERED

Some of our prayers are often not answered, because we have not made the right request, or that God is waiting for the right time, God knows what is best for us and answers when e wills. However, some of our prayers are unanswered because of our attitudes such as, anger which is hazardous to the effectiveness of our prayer. We cannot pray well with a furious heart. If we keep malice, we will be distracted and will be unable to concentrate. When praying, one who prays with this attitude is akin to one who pours water on a stone.

In addition, having an unforgiving spirit prevents one’s prayer from being answered. God cannot forgive us our sins, if we do not forgive others as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. In Matt. 6:14-15, Christ says forgive others; so that your heavenly Father will forgive you. When Peter asked Christ how many times one has to forgive his brother. Christ answered him in a way that encourages one to forgive always, no limit as long as forgiveness is asked for (Matt. 18:21-22). David forgave Saul and received the blessings (1 Sam. 24:5-13). The guilt of sin always hinders our prayers from being answered. When we become guilty of sin, we distance ourselves from God, and any prayer said at this period will yield no fruit. So we are encouraged to always feel remorseful for our sins, confess and repent from evil deeds. When we renew our relationship with God, he will bless us always.

CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PRAYER

 Our prayers can be effective when we do the opposite of that which prevents our prayers from being answered. A contrite and happy heart is of paramount importance. When you are at peace with created things, you will experience internal joy because you are at peace with God. The one who prays with this attitude receive answers to his prayers, and one will live a happy and promising life.

In addition to that, is the desire to pray. We should always long for God just as the psalmist in Ps. 42:2-3 says, “As a deer longs for water, so does my soul long for God, my soul thirsts for the living God”. Silence of heart also contributes in no small way to the effectiveness of our prayers, Jesus taught his apostles to pray secretly (silently) so that their heavenly Father who sees in secret will reward them abundantly. When you are silent you become in a reflective mood, and in this state you can easily communicate with God.

Faith is also of great importance for an effective prayer. A prayer without faith is like an automobile without petrol. It will not create any impact. Jesus encouraged us to have faith in him and in his Father. For in his Father’s house there are many places to live (Jn.14:2-3). He spoke further saying, “anything you ask the Father through me, I will do it for you”. However, it is only through faith that we can achieve our prayer points (Jn. 14:14). We can see the faith of Abraham and his wife Sarah. Their faith made God answered their prayer. They prayed with faith and God blessed them with Isaac. God answered the prayers of the Israelites, because they had faith in him. In Num. 10:35 Moses with faith asked God to arise and scatter their enemies and it came to pass. God answered Hannah because she had faith in God. St. Augustine says that “God, who created us without our help, cannot save us without our help”. Therefore, we have to pray with faith so that our prayers will be answered.

WHERE CAN WE FIND GOD AND WHERE SHOULD WE PRAY?

St. Ignatius of Loyola developed a method of spirituality that finds God in all things. He posits that God is ever present in all created things. Therefore, God is everywhere. We encounter him on daily basis at every activity, even in the work of man and nature. God is encountered in the sacraments, in priests, in pastors, in the scripture etc. He is present in the church which is the body of Christ, and he the head. His mighty presence is ever noticed in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus told his apostles after breaking the bread and wine, to eat and drink his body and blood, and to do it in the memory of him (Matt. 26:26-28). Also he is present in his church, because he says that where two or more gather in his name he is present with them. And we gather in the church, because of his name.

CONCLUSION

 Prayer with faith is the sine qua non of an effective prayer. Why we are having much Christians and less spirituality, is because we are not praying effectively. Jesus buttressed the need for prayer when he told his apostle that only prayer and fasting could drive out his kind of spirit. Only prayer and fasting can make us have Christian that are faithful to the teachings of Christ. We should also remember that shouting and some other noises we make are not the best way to pray. I am not condemning praying aloud but noise making. Brethren let us not jump from here to there, but pray with broken and contrite heart and God will answer us and our faith will grow more.

It is only by recognizing God and his power through prayer that we can have faith in him, and boost the faith of other faithful.

The stepping stone to building Christian spirituality is prayer. Let our every activity be initiated with prayer and concluded with prayer. If we see every moment as a moment of prayer, our lives will be different, it will be Christ-like, which entails being hearers, preachers and above all, doers of the word of God.