OUR PRAYER

Praying is our way of communicating with God. As we enter into prayer, we engage in a dialogue and conversation with God. We express to Him the deepest desires and longings of hearts. But most of the time, praying as a conversation with God is about listening to Him more than as doing the talking.  As Mother Teresa said “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at this disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.” In praying, we long to understand His will in our lives and not to dictate our personal will to God. Through prayers, we can be strengthened to face any difficulties and challenges in our life as God enlightens us whenever we are in darkness and fear.

In January of 2014, I thought of leaving the seminary. We had a problem in our family. I thought if I left the seminary, I can be of help to them since I will be present in their midst and perhaps be able to add some financial assistance to them should I start a lucrative business. For several nights, after dinner, I walked around the church courtyard in Santo Domingo. It was a simple silent walk. And suddenly it dawned on me that I could not give financial assistance to my parents (even now as a priest), as my siblings do. But I can give or do something for them. I can pray for them. That made me realize the value of prayer in my life; the capacity to beg for graces and mercy from God for my family and friends. From that time on, I took my prayer life seriously. I cannot give money, food or shelter, but I can pray that God may provide whatever we need. And so, I continue my religious and clerical formation. Five years after, our problem remains unsolved but we are still here, strengthened and made resilient by God. We continue to pray.                       

Praying leads us to the realization of the will of God in our life. "Not my will, but Your will be done." Thus, in our traditions and rituals, we employ things that can help us focus in meditating upon the will of God: rosary, psalms. Through these, we encounter God in silence and stillness of our hearts, the God who only speaks in silence. We come face to face with the TRUTH about our lives about God. And it is this truth that we are to bring to the people to whom we administer.

Prayer always has a social dimension. It can never be a personal one. If the Lord's Prayer is our model, we realize that it is not about "I" but "Our, We." Our lives and prayers as Christians are imitations of Christ's. The Holy Trinity never kept the love they have for one another only for themselves. They go ad extra, which is going outside or beyond their relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus, God created us, redeemed us, and sustains us. When we pray, we always pray for others more than for ourselves; for the persons with whom we are in a relationship with. A mother prays for her children. A husband prays for his wife. A teacher prays for her students. A friend prays for his friend. Even for your persecutors and enemies, you can pray for them. As the letter of James (5:16) says: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Our prayers are always communal and for others, as God is towards us.

In the 16th century translation of the Lord's Prayer in Baybayin, the phrase "And lead us not into temptation" is translated as "Huwág mo kamí iwan || nang  dî kamí matalo nang tuksó." Prayer for us is about the accompaniment of God, to be secured in His presence; to be always present in Him. And God makes Himself present through the company of a friend praying for you. Di ka nag-iisa. You can be the answer to the prayers of others, as you accompany them in their prayers.