With graduation, the summer, and new beginnings on the horizon, I’d like to go back to basics, namely prayer.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer … “Man is a beggar before God.”
This strong language is not for nothing. It reminds us of our creatureliness. Compared to God, we are as ants to humans. So why does God invite us to intimate friendship with Him? Aristotle, one of the greatest sages of antiquity, did not think it was possible. But, this great mind was wrong on one of the most important issues that could only be settled through revelation. Once we see and acknowledge our deep wound of sin, can we begin to be lifted up by the Creator who wants to recreate us into His perfect adopted sons and daughters.
This lofty goal does not happen overnight. It happens in the day-to-day. It happens in our consistent Marian ‘Yes’ to God. It happens in large part through prayer. “We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure,” Brother Lawrence writes in The Practice of the Presence of God.
Remembering God in the everyday moments of our lives makes every act a kind of prayer. Even the most mundane human chores like taking out the trash or cleaning the toilet become an act of sacrifice done in relationship to God. Acts of study that bring us closer to the mind of God can be fruitful reminders of His presence and opportunities to love. Love sees with new eyes and when this happens, slowly and over time, we can see God more and more as He really is, our loving Father who wants us to be truly and eternally happy.
Our desire for God, not an artificial desire like my own for the Jaguars to win the Superbowl, is natural and needs the fuel to get to its proper end. This is the prayer that is truly “without ceasing” (cf. 1 Thess. 5:17). When we remind ourselves of God’s presence in the ordinary, along with spending intentional time in direct prayer with God through supplication, meditation, contemplation, and thanksgiving, can we truly live out the “hunger and thirst for righteousness” needed for our own and our neighbor’s souls.
Prayer is not a waste of time, but a symbol and a practice of all time. Because, for all time, we hope to be with God and to love and be loved by Him. This summer and until the day you die, Class of 2023, please pray without ceasing. God is always there to listen; He wants to bring you home to heaven. Please be a saint.
Max Montana is a senior studying philosophy and theology. When not writing for The Torch, he enjoys reading more about the Catholic faith and philosophy, serving the unborn and mothers in need, and hanging out with friends. Max is honored to hail from the state with many gators and the bishop of the moon: Florida.
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