Why pray? This is a question that concerns people of faith everywhere. I would like to address this important topic in today’s blog.

Simply put, prayer is communion with God. The best way to enter into communion with God is by meditating on His Word. We have been given God’s word in the Scriptures, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to understand it. By meditating on His word, we stay in contact with the Lord and He with us. 

Prayer is not the same as repetition. Some people think that by repeating words over and over again, they will gain a hearing before the Lord. Jesus says that this is not true prayer: “When you pray,” He says, “do not prattle on like pagans thinking they will gain a hearing through the multiplication of words.” ( Matthew 6:7 ) “Rather,” He says, “when you pray, go into your room, close your door, and pray to your Heavenly Father in secret; and your Heavenly Father who knows what you need will listen to you” (Matthew 6:6). Prayer is primarily a private activity. It is communion between you and God in the privacy of your soul. God already knows what your needs are, but He wants you to be in relationship with Him to receive His grace. Sometimes God will answer your prayers in ways different to what you expected. This is because God knows best. He always answers your prayers even if you didn’t appreciate His answer at the time. Can you think of a time when your prayer was answered in a way you didn’t expect? When you pray, always pray with God’s will in mind, not necessarily your own.

Jesus prayed. You might ask: Why did Jesus pray? He was the Son of God and was always in communion with His Father. So, why did He pray? Remember,  Jesus was also the Son of man and, as a man, He needed to withdraw from the many cares, anxieties and pitfalls of the world to be in communion with His Father. He needed time to pray privately apart from the entanglements of the world. You too need to detach yourself from worldly preoccupations to spend time in private meditation.

One day, the disciples observed Jesus praying, and they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus acceded to their request and gave them the Our Father which is also known as The Lord’s Prayer. We have been so blessed to have this magnificent prayer handed down to us. The Lord’s prayer must be prayed, thoughtfully, and with direct reference to our lives. One Our Father, prayed mindfully, is better than a thousand Our Father’s repeated over and over again. I have written a short meditation on the Lord’s Prayer. No need to repeat it here again because you are free to look it up in the category section of this website.

Its important to cultivate a habit of prayer. The Apostle Paul says you should pray always, and by that he means you should always be mindful of  the Lord’s presence in all circumstances. True. But it is beneficial to set time aside to meditate on the scriptures every day. A little bit of meditation every day is all it takes. Could be in the morning after breakfast, in the afternoon after lunch, or in the evening after dinner. Whatever time suits you. Never let a day pass without being inspired by the words of scripture. There are so many wonderful devotionals to help you with scripture meditation every day of the year. Choose one you like, and use it as a helpmate in your daily meditation.

I hope you find this helpful.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy