1 June 2017
We see an image of a saint and we wonder: What’s prayer like
for that person? Or we see someone in
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and we might think: I wonder how they’re
experiencing prayer right now . . . Are they talking to God? Is God talking to them? Are their eyes closed in meditation, or are
they sleeping?
And we wonder because, of course, we want to pray…correctly. We want to make sure we’re doing it right. And that’s fine and good. Even Jesus’ prayer to the Father can be
instructive for us. We heard that, “Lifting
up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: ‘I pray not only for these, but
also for those who will believe in me through their word.’” And he calls his Father, “Righteous,” and
expresses his desire that “they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in
me.”
John gives us a glimpse into the prayer life—the relationship—between
God the Father and God the Son. And we see
there’s an expression of desire, desire from the heart, an unselfish prayer; a
prayer, a wish, a hope that everyone may experience “glory”. We see that the Son is the Son, and he
approaches the Father as the Father; they are distinct, and yet, they share
everything completely, openly and honestly.
And, with that glimpse into Jesus’ heart, we see how our
prayer life with him might be like. A
conversation, an expression of our heart’s desires, our frustrations, our hopes…for
ourselves and for others. Approaching
the Lord as the Lord, and we as his brothers and sisters, sons and daughters,
friends, handmaids of the Lord.
We often don’t see how others pray, and so it can be hard to
know ourselves what prayer is like. And
so we have a great treasure in this prayer of Jesus. He gives us a little help, a little guidance
when we’re wondering: What is prayer like?
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