Posted on 02/14/2007 6:45:42 AM PST by NYer
Q. I’ll bet a dime to a donut this won’t see print. My question regards praying. Hitler exterminated some 12 million Jews and Christians. They were deeply religious people who prayed that God would spare them. But He did not answer their prayers. If He did not answer these prayers, why would He answer my “insignificant” prayers? Your answer can only be that we don’t know why God does what He does, that He has a plan that we will not understand until the Last Judgment. So why pray? – E.W.L., Kansas
A. First of all, there is no such thing as an “insignificant” prayer. Prayer is the elevation of our mind and heart to God, and it can never be an unimportant or inconsequential action to maintain communication with the One who created us and who sustains us with His divine providence.
Second, we don’t pray to let God know what we need; He already knows everything that is on our minds. We pray to acknowledge that we need God, that we are utterly dependent on Him. Recognizing this and placing ourselves humbly before God is a good thing for us, regardless of the outcome of our prayers.
Third, while we’re talking here about prayers of petition, remember that there are also three other purposes of prayer: adoration, thanksgiving, and reparation. Yes, God wants us to ask Him for things (“Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you”), but don’t forget our obligation to praise God, to thank Him for our blessings, and to repair for our sins and the sins of the world.
On the one hand, says the Catechism, we are not particularly concerned whether God hears our prayers of praise and thanks, but “on the other hand, we demand to see the results of our petitions. What is the image of God that motivates our prayer: an instrument to be used? Or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?” (n. 2735).
Fourth, God answers every prayer, but sometimes the answer is no or not right now. E.W.L. is right that we don’t know why some prayers are not answered in the way that we would wish. Our only response is that we must continue to have trust and confidence in God, the God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins so that we could get to Heaven. A God who would do that cannot be characterized as uncaring. As the Catechism says:
“Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask Him; for He desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to Him in prayer.”
Fifth, we don’t know if everyone in Hitler’s concentration camps was a deeply religious person. Many of them might have been, but some perhaps ignored God, and others may even have cursed God for their plight. Furthermore, those who did pray may not have been praying just for their own well-being. Some may have been praying for other prisoners, or offering prayers of adoration or reparation.
What we do know is that God can bring good out of even the most horrific circumstances. So the prayers of those in the camps, although not answered in the manner that E.W.L. would have preferred, were not useless. The fact that the suffering prompted prayer at all was a good thing, but we will not know until the Last Judgment how much good prayer wrought in those camps, how many people it brought closer to God, how many souls it saved, how many Maximilian Kolbe’s became saints because of extraordinary sacrifices made for their fellow prisoners.
That’s why we should never underestimate the power of prayer, even prayer that we might think is “insignificant.” And we should never assume that prayer is fruitless because it does not produce the effects that we think it should. God hears all prayers and will use them in ways that we cannot imagine to facilitate His plan for humanity.
P.S. We’ll take the dime instead of the donut since you might get in trouble sending a powdery substance through the mails.
I've always thought that prayer was for thanks and not for bargaining or asking, other than asking to walk Jesus' path more closely or asking for strength.
I hate it when people start letters like that ... "I bet you're not brave enough to print my letter," and so on. It's so egotistical, as if the writer is the only person in the world to have come up with the question, and the person responding is too stupid to make a sensible answer.
Congratulations to Father for responding with such civility. Very informative, too!
Great post - thanks for sharing it.
I'm glad you pointed that out, and I agree!
I’ll bet a dime to a donut this won’t see print.
I hate it when people start letters like that ...
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But I am glad that the writer used that cliche since it gave the priest such a clever tag line in his PS.
Thanks for posting this. I definitely need reminding that prayer is more than "make-a-wish" time.
Beautiful answer!
"Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago answered and said to king Nabuchodonosor: We have no occasion to answer thee concerning this matter. For behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of thy hands, O king. But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up."
(Dan. 3:16-18, Douay version)
I have a non-Catholic friend who says it's a sin not to pray for things for yourself. I always thought it was selfish. I mean, no matter how sucky I think my life is, someone else has it worse, some one else has a burden that is greater. At those times, it seems that they are much more in need than I, because I'm more blessed than I realize or am sometimes thankful for.
I think that's a good attitude. Some people never learn that material things are not what is most important in this life.
I will never ask Our Lord in prayer for *things*. I will ask for strength or wisdom or for His Healing Hands to carry me past a crisis or problem. I believe the best prayers are prayers of thanksgiving for all Our Heavenly Father continuely gives to us on a daily basis.
Yes, that was a smart answer.
“Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you."
God knows what we need and if we ask for His guidance, He will direct our path.
Thank you for that quote!
The problem with this approach to prayer is evident when tough times arrive. The individual then suspects they have done something seriously wrong to 'deserve' this punishment and redoubles their prayers. When those prayers are 'not answered', they suspect they have incurred God's wrath and try to figure out how to make amends.
One of Marcus Grodi's guests on The Journey Home, described this misguided understanding of prayer and the torment she personally suffered as a result of it.
Prayer is always good, imho. If nothing else(!)it benefits the person who prays.
Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
A good ending to your prayers is the recognition that God's Will be done!
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