We do not pray for the sake of praying, but for the sake of being heard. We do not pray in order to listen to ourselves praying but in order that God may hear us and answer us. Also, we do not pray in order to receive just any answer: it must be God's answer.
Interpretation
Prayer is not just about reciting words; it is about seeking a genuine connection with the divine for guidance and understanding.
This quote by Thomas Merton emphasizes the true purpose of prayer, which is not merely to speak but to communicate with God in hopes of receiving His guidance and answers. It reflects a deeper intention behind prayer, urging individuals to seek meaningful dialogue with the divine rather than superficial recitation or self-reflection.
In practice
In a sermon about the importance of faith, one might use this quote to highlight the significance of sincere prayer.
The devil is no fool. He can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. He can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. And he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows; not by clarity and substance, but by dreams and the creatures of psychosis. And men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything.
Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny....To work out our identity in God.
Conscience is the light by which we interpret the will of God in our own lives.
You are made in the image of what you desire.
But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for.
I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.
In these days there is no time to pray; but without time, and a lot of it, we shall never learn to pray.
Prayer might not change things, but it will change my perspective of things. Prayer might not change the past, but inevitably, it changes the present.
The blessings of the priesthood transcend our ability to comprehend.
We rarely think of the air we breathe, yet it is in us and around us all the time. In similar fashion, the presence of God penetrates us, is all around us, is always embracing us.
There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes.
Let us ask the Lord for this grace: that our hearts become free and filled with light, so that we can rejoice as children of God.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.