Readings:
1st Reading; Acts 1 : 12 – 14.
Responsorial Psalm; Ps. 27 : 1, 4, 7 -8.
2nd Reading;1 Peter 4 : 13 – 16.
Gospel; John 17 : 1 – 11.

The Central theme of today’s readings, is prayer. We see the Apostles and Jesus in the readings of today, all in prayer. We pray. In fact, we all pray at one time or the other, when we are thankful, worried or uncertain, either consciously or unknowingly. I read about some comments from Mahatma Gandhi about prayer. ” I am neither a man of letters nor of science, but I humbly claim to be a man of prayer. It is prayer that has saved my life. Without it, I would have lost my reason long ago. If I did not lose my peace of soul, in the midst of my many trials, it is because of the peace that came to me through prayer. One can live several days without food, but not without prayer. Prayer is the key to each morning and the lock to each evening. It is the sacred alliance between God and us. It delivers us from the clutches of the prince of darkness. We have to choose either to ally ourselves with the forces of evil or the forces of good. Let everyone try this experience and they will find that daily prayer will add something new to our lives, something which cannot be found elsewhere. This is my sacred teaching”. Such words are like dubbed from my mind. Maybe, you have the same experience. But what is prayer? How do we pray? To such questions, answers cannot be overemphasised.

Unfortunately, we carry misconceptions about prayer. If prayer were to work the way many people think it does, no one would die or be sick, because no prayer is ever offered more sincerely than the prayer for life and health and recovery from illness, for ourselves and those we love.

What do we expect when we pray for a favourable outcome to a crisis in our life? We tend to hate God or at least, are angry at Him, when the outcome is unwanted. We feel He has cheated us and let us down by not fulfilling His promise that when we are in need we should pray. The worst is when we feel that God has disapproved of our demands. Often, we question why God has not answered our prayer. Answers to such a question are usually problematic, leading us to feelings of guilt, anger or even hopelessness.

Some people in their despair, quickly conclude that prayers are not answered because there is no God. Others accept that, though there is God,  prayer is a sham; God does not hear prayers. Others say you do not get what you pray for, because you do not pray hard enough. Yet others, that you do not get what you pray for because you do not deserve it. We also hear the explanation that you do not get what you pray for because God knows what is best for you than you do, or that God listens to someone else’s worthy prayer for you for the opposite result. 

We, Christians are not satisfied with any of these answers and would not give up on the idea of prayer.  What makes this possible is our understanding of what it means to pray and what it means for our prayers to be answered. Today’s readings show Jesus praying to the Father,  the Apostles,  some women and Jesus’ brothers in prayer. Throughout Jesus’ ministry and sojourn here on earth, we find Him in prayer. Paul in one of his letters, tells us to “pray without ceasing, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5 : 17 – 18) .What kind of prayer may we therefore offer to be satisfied with the response?

When we make bad or improper prayers, we are bound to be disappointed when we do not get the expected response. We can look at some of these types of improper prayers. If a woman is pregnant, neither she nor the husband should pray, “May God grant that this child be a male” (nor for that matter ‘ be a female’). The sex of the child is determined at conception and it is unrealistic to invoke God to change it. If you see an approaching flood ravishing your vicinity and the altitude of your home is much lower, you should not pray, “Please God, don’t let the flood reach my house”. Not only is it mean-spirited to pray that some one else’s home be ravished and yours spared, but it is futile. This logic can be extended to contemporary situations.  A student with his report booklet already in his hand cannot pray “Please, God, let it be that I am the first in the examinations”. In these cases, certain conditions already exist and we cannot ask God to go back and rewrite the past against some other person’s favour.

It is also improper to ask God to change the laws of nature for our benefit. For instance, that your grandmother whom you love so much should live forever or be resucitated from death. This should not discourage us for asking for the impossible. Of course, Sometimes miracles do happen. Malignancies mysteriously disappear, incurable patients recover and get cured and baffled doctors credit it to an act of God. All we can do in a case like that is echo the doctor’s bewildered gratitude. We do not know why some people spontaneously recover from illnesses which kill or cripple others. We do not know why some people die in car crashes or planes why some sitting right next to them, walk away with just some bruises. I don’t believe that God chooses to hear the prayers of some and not of others. There would be no discernible ryhme or reason to His doing that. No amount of research into the lives of those who died or survived calamities would help us learn how to pray so that we too can win God’s favour. When miracles occur and people beat the odds against their survival, we would be well advised to bow our heads in thanks to God at the presence of the miracle and not think that our prayers, contributions, abstentions  are what did it. The next time we try, we may wonder why our prayers are ineffective.

Some other category of prayer not fit for praying would be prayer meant to do someone else harm. If prayer as a whole, is meant to enlarge our souls, it should not be put to the service of meanness, envy or vengeance. This reminds me of a comment I got from one of the fons of a belligerent tribe around Kom when we went to plead for an end to attacks on the a neighbouring tribe, ” God, He no want make bad man he die, but He want make he change he life and he live”.This also calls to mind a story I read about two shopkeepers who were bitter rivals. Their stores were across the street from each other, and they would spend each day sitting in the doorway, keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night, an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers who had been praying so hard for success, in a dream and said “God has sent me to teach you a lesson. He will give you anything you ask for, but I want you to know that, whatever you get, your competitor across the street will get twice as much. Would you be wealthy, but he will be twice as rich. Do you want to live a long and healthy life? Your rival’s life will be longer and healthier. You can be famous, have children you will be proud of, whatever you desire. But whatever you get, he will get twice as much”. The man frowned, thought for a moment and said, “All right, my request is: strike me blind in one eye”. So, if his friend should get twice as much, he will be blind in both eyes.

Also,  we cannot devote our time in prayer asking God to do something which is within our power, so as to spare us the chore of doing it. He has given us the means, ways and energies to do what we should do.

Prayer should not be a bargain with God. “Give me this and I will do you that”. When Jacob flees from his brother Esau and from home, before spending his first night away from home at the river bank, he makes such a prayer. Quite often we find ourselves making such prayers; “Dear God, make this work out well and I will do whatever you want”; “I will do this and do that if You just grant me this”. Twenty years on his return from Laban’s house, Jacob’s prayer is more mature. God’s blessings are not for sale. Our prayers do not affect the greatness of God. They add nothing to Him nor reduce anything from Him, but make us grow in His presence.

I have also found people shouting at the top of their voices in prayer. My God is certainly not deaf. He reads your mind even before you utter the words. The Bible tells us that Jesus almost always went to the quiet place to pray, not the noisy places.  I have also found it improper when some people think prayer should involve quoting the Bible from Genesis to the Revelations to remind God about His promises. He has not forgotten any.

Prayer when offered in the right way, redeems one from isolation. It reminds you that you do not need to feel alone or abandoned. It lets you know that you are part of a greater reality, with more depth, more hope, more courage and more of a future than any individual could have by himself. One goes to a religious service, recites the traditional prayers, not only to find God there. There are plenty of places where God can be found. To find a congregation is to find people with whom you share that which means the most to you. From that point of view,  just being able to pray helps, whether your prayer changes the world outside you or not.

Prayer, of course, puts us in touch with God – not the way many people think it does – that you approach God as a supplicant, a beggar asking for favours, or as a customer presenting Him with a shopping list and asking how much it will cost. So prayer should not be primarily a matter of asking God to change things. It should be thanking God and asking also for the way forward after the good and the bad events.

A little Prayer.

Lord Jesus I thank you for teaching me how to pray.  Give me O Lord, the strength, determination and willpower to do instead of just pray, to become instead of merely to wish. May your Holy Spirit guide me in my alliance with you. Lord May your Spirit Come! Amen.

Have A Wonderful Week in Preparation of the Feast of Pentecost.

Bobe Talla Toh.