Thirtieth of Year C
October 2010
Again today our theme is prayer.
I must firstly emphasise that when it comes to God and the things of God, such as my relationship with God and my prayer, it is unwise to lay down absolutes.
What suites one person or one group can leave others cold.
My idea of God (what do I think God is like) colours my prayer and my whole attitude towards, and relationship with, my God.
This is very evident in the Bible where one author portrays God as the harsh intolerant Judge and another as the loving, compassionate Father.
It seems to me that these two views are mutually exclusive - God can be one or the other but not both.
God is infinite and cannot be pigeonholed despite the efforts of all churches and religions to do so. (This includes the various authors of the Bible books).
One thing I notice is that my attitude to God seems to reflect my own particular character at any given period of my life.
For example if I am judgemental and condemnatory in my attitude to others and to myself then I tend to believe in a God who is also like that.
While if I am a forgiving, compassionate and tolerant person I tend to believe in a God who is also like that.
So the kind of God I worship is a good pointer to the kind of person I am. Which in turn will colour my prayer life and my spiritual life.
So my relationship with my God and hence my prayer life will tend to be subjective. This can lead me into error and needs the checks and balances provided by the church to which I belong.
Being a Christian demands continual change because it presupposes a growing relationship with and a changing attitude towards my God. This should change me and change my prayer life as I grow older.
When we pray as a community or as a family we must of course follow a fixed order of prayer as we do in church or at family prayer. But in private prayer we should be open to experiment and be willing to sample various forms and types of prayer and meditation.
A common misconception is that even when I am alone and praying privately, I should be saying something or reciting some prayer.
Just sitting and being aware of the presence of God, however vaguely, can be a powerful prayer.
As Satchel Paige said ‘Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.’