YOUCAT Lesson 505
YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth
505 Why is prayer sometimes
a struggle?
The spiritual masters of all times have described growth in
faith and in love for God as a spiritual, life-and-death combat. The battlefield is man’s interior life. The Christian’s weapon is prayer. We can allow ourselves be defeated by our
selfishness and lose ourselves over worthless things—or we can win God. [2725-2752]
Christ Pantocrator
from Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai. .....505
By
virtue of the power the Father has given him over all flesh. The Son, who made
himself Servant, is Lord, the Pantocrator.
Our high priest who prays for us is also the one who prays in us and the God
who hears our prayer. –#2749 in this
lesson below.
Often someone who wants to pray must first conquer his lack
of will power. Even the Desert Fathers
were acquainted with spiritual sluggishness (“acedia”). Reluctance to seek God is a big problem in
the spiritual life. The spirit of the
times sees no point in praying, and our full calendars leave no room for
it. Then there is the battle against the
tempter, who will try anything to keep a person from devoting himself to God. If God did not want us to find our way to him
in prayer, we would not win the battle.
“We should have a holy boldness, because God helps the
courageous and is not a respecter of persons.”
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
“Fight the good fight of the
faith.” 1 Timothy 6:12
“Here God and the devil struggle, and the battlefield is the
human heart.” Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky
(1821-1881). “The Brothers Karamazov”
“As long as we live, we fight, and as long as we are
fighting, that is a sign that we are not defeated and that the good Spirit
dwells within us. And if death does not
meet you as the victor, he should find you a warrior.” St. Augustine
(354-430)
[2725-2752]
THE LIFE OF PRAYER
ARTICLE 2
THE BATTLE OF PRAYER
2725 Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined
response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer
of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints,
and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against
ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man
away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live
as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of
Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual
battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of
prayer. –Catechism of the Catholic
Church, Second Edition
2726 In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves
and around us erroneous notions
of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity,
others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others
reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously
regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things
they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by
prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also
from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone. --CCC
2727 We must also face the fact that certain attitudes
deriving from the mentality of
"this present world" can penetrate our lives if we are not vigilant.
For example, some would have it that only that is true which can be verified by
reason and science; yet prayer is a mystery that overflows both our conscious
and unconscious lives. Others overly prize production and profit; thus prayer,
being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt sensuality and comfort as
the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful; whereas prayer, the "love
of beauty" (philokalia), is caught up in the glory of the living
and true God. Finally, some see prayer as a flight from the world in reaction
against activism; but in fact, Christian prayer is neither an escape from
reality nor a divorce from life. –CCC
2728 Finally, our battle has to confront what we
experience as failure in prayer:
discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that, because we have
"great possessions,"( Compare Mark 10:22.)15 we have not given all to
the Lord; disappointment over not being heard according to our own will;
wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our
resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The
conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray? To overcome these
obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance. –CCC
2729 The
habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction.
It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more
profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal),
meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions
would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to
our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this
humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him
and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the
battle, the choice of which master to serve.( Copmpare Matthew 6:21,24.)16 –CCC
2730 In positive terms, the battle against the possessive
and dominating self requires vigilance, sobriety of heart. When Jesus insists
on vigilance, he always
relates it to himself, to his coming on the last day and every day: today. The bridegroom comes in
the middle of the night; the light that must not be extinguished is that of
faith: "'Come,' my heart says, 'seek his face!'"(Psalm 27:8.)17 –CCC
2731 Another difficulty,
especially for those who sincerely want to pray, is dryness. Dryness belongs to contemplative prayer when the heart is
separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even
spiritual ones. This is the moment of sheer faith clinging faithfully to Jesus
in his agony and in his tomb. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains alone; but if dies, it bears much fruit."( John 12:24.)18 If dryness is due to the
lack of roots, because the word has fallen on rocky soil, the battle requires
conversion.( Compare Luke 8:6,13.)19
Facing temptations in prayer
2732 The
most common yet most hidden temptation is our lack of faith. It expresses itself less by declared
incredulity than by our actual preferences. When we begin to pray, a thousand
labors or cares thought to be urgent vie for priority; once again, it is the
moment of truth for the heart: what is its real love? Sometimes we turn to the
Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Sometimes we enlist the
Lord as an ally, but our heart remains presumptuous. In each case, our lack of
faith reveals that we do not yet share in the disposition of a humble heart:
"Apart from me, you can do nothing."( John 15:5.)20 –CCC
2733 Another temptation, to which presumption opens the
gate, is acedia. The
spiritual writers understand by this a form of depression due to lax ascetical
practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart. "The spirit indeed
is willing, but the flesh is weak."( Matthew 26:41.)21 The greater the height,
the harder the fall. Painful as discouragement is, it is the reverse of
presumption. The humble are not surprised by their distress; it leads them to
trust more, to hold fast in constancy. –CCC
2734 Filial trust is tested - it proves itself - in
tribulation.( Compare Romans 5:3-5.)22 The principal difficulty
concerns the prayer of petition,
for oneself or for others in intercession. Some even stop praying because they
think their petition is not heard. Here two questions should be asked: Why do
we think our petition has not been heard? How is our prayer heard, how is it
"efficacious"? --CCC
2735 In the first place, we ought to be astonished
by this fact: when we praise God or give him thanks for his benefits in
general, we are not particularly concerned whether or not our prayer is
acceptable to him. On the other hand, we demand to see the results of our
petitions. What is the image of God that motivates our prayer: an instrument to
be used? or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
2736 Are we convinced that "we do not know how to
pray as we ought"?(Romans 8:26.)23 Are we asking God for
"what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask
him,( Compare Matthew 6:8.)24 but he awaits our
petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom. We must
pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants.( Compare Romans 8:27.)25 –CCC
2737 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask
wrongly, to spend it on your passions."( James 4:3; compare the whole
context: James 4:1-10; Jas 1:5-8; Jas 5:16.)26 If we ask with a divided
heart, we are "adulterers";(James 4:4.)27 God cannot answer us, for
he desires our well-being, our life. "Or do you suppose that it is in vain
that the scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made
to dwell in us?'"( James 4:5.)28 That our God is
"jealous" for us is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter
into the desire of his Spirit, we shall be heard. –CCC
Do not be troubled if you do not immediately
receive from God what you ask him; for he desires to do something even greater
for you, while you cling to him in prayer.( Evagrius Ponticus, De oratione 34:Patrologia Graeca
79,1173.)29 –CCC
God wills
that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive
what he is prepared to give.( St. Augustine, Ep. 130,8,17:Patrologia Latina 33,500.)30 –CCC
2738 The
revelation of prayer in the economy of salvation teaches us that faith rests on
God's action in history. Our filial trust is enkindled by his supreme act: the
Passion and Resurrection of his Son. Christian prayer is cooperation with his
providence, his plan of love for men. –CCC
2739 For
St. Paul, this trust is bold, founded on the prayer of the Spirit in us and on
the faithful love of the Father who has given us his only Son.( Compare Romans 10:12-13; Rom 8:26-39.)31 Transformation of the praying heart is the
first response to our petition. –CCC
2740 The
prayer of Jesus makes Christian prayer an efficacious petition. He is its
model, he prays in us and with us. Since the heart of the Son seeks only what
pleases the Father, how could the prayer of the children of adoption be
centered on the gifts rather than the Giver? --CCC
2741 Jesus
also prays for us - in our place and on our behalf. All our petitions were
gathered up, once for all, in his cry on the Cross and, in his Resurrection,
heard by the Father. This is why he never ceases to intercede for us with the
Father.( Compare Hebrews 5:7; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24)32 If
our prayer is resolutely united with that of Jesus, in trust and boldness as
children, we obtain all that we ask in his name, even more than any particular
thing: the Holy Spirit himself, who contains all gifts. –CCC
2742 "Pray
constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father."( 1
Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 5:20.)33 St. Paul adds,
"Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To
that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the
saints."( Ephesians 6:18.)34 For
"we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly,
but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing."( Evagrius Ponticus, Pract.
49:Patrologia Graeca 40,1245C.)35 This tireless fervor
can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of
prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. This love opens our
hearts to three enlightening and life-giving facts of faith about prayer. –CCC
2743 It
is always possible to pray: The time of the Christian is that of the risen
Christ who is with us always, no matter what tempests may arise.( Compare Matthew 28:20; Luke 8:24.)36 Our time is in the
hands of God: --CCC
It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in
public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, . . . while buying
or selling, . . . or even while cooking.( St. John Chrysostom, Ecloga de oratione 2:Patrologia Graeca 63,585.)37 –CCC
2744 Prayer
is a vital necessity. Proof from the contrary is no less
convincing: if we do not allow the Spirit to lead us, we fall back into the
slavery of sin.( Compare Galatians 5:16-25.)38 How can the
Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him? --CCC
Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes
possible, what is difficult, easy. . . . For it is impossible,
utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly
ever to sin.( St.
John Chrysostom, De Anna 4,5:Patrologia Graeca
54,666.)39 –CCC
Those who pray are certainly
saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned.( St. Alphonsus Liguori, Del gran Mezzo della preghiera.)40 –CCC
2745 Prayer and Christian life are inseparable, for they
concern the same love and the same renunciation, proceeding from love; the same
filial and loving conformity with the Father's plan of love; the same
transforming union in the Holy Spirit who conforms us more and more to Christ
Jesus; the same love for all men, the love with which Jesus has loved us.
"Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he [will] give it to you. This I
command you, to love one another."( John 15:16-17.)41 –CCC
He "prays without ceasing" who unites prayer to works
and good works to prayer. Only in this way can we consider as realizable the
principle of praying without ceasing.( Origen, De orat. 12:Patrologia Graeca
11,452c.)42 –CCC
ARTICLE 3
THE PRAYER OF THE HOUR OF JESUS
2746 When "his hour" came, Jesus
prayed to the Father.( Compare John 17.)43 His prayer, the longest transmitted by
the Gospel, embraces the whole economy of creation and salvation, as well as
his death and Resurrection. The prayer of the Hour of Jesus always remains his
own, just as his Passover "once for all" remains ever present in the
liturgy of his Church. –CCC
2747 Christian Tradition rightly calls this
prayer the "priestly" prayer of Jesus. It is the prayer of our high
priest, inseparable from his sacrifice, from his passing over (Passover) to the
Father to whom he is wholly "consecrated."( Compare John 17:11,13,19.)44 –CCC
2748 In this Paschal and sacrificial prayer,
everything is recapitulated in Christ(Compare Ephesians 1:10.)45 God and the world; the Word and the
flesh; eternal life and time; the love that hands itself over and the sin that
betrays it; the disciples present and those who will believe in him by their
word; humiliation and glory. It is the prayer of unity. –CCC
2749 Jesus fulfilled the work of the Father
completely; his prayer, like his sacrifice, extends until the end of time. The
prayer of this hour fills the end-times and carries them toward their
consummation. Jesus, the Son to whom the Father has given all things, has given
himself wholly back to the Father, yet expresses himself with a sovereign
freedom(Compare
John 17:11,13,19,24.)46 by virtue of
the power the Father has given him over all flesh. The Son, who made himself
Servant, is Lord, the Pantocrator. Our high priest who
prays for us is also the one who prays in us and the God who hears our prayer. –CCC
2750 By entering into the holy name of the Lord
Jesus we can accept, from within, the prayer he teaches us: "Our
Father!" His priestly prayer fulfills, from within, the great petitions of
the Lord's Prayer: concern for the Father's name;( Compare John 17:6,11,12,26.)47 passionate zeal for his kingdom
(glory);( Compare John 17:1,5,10,22,23-26.)48 the accomplishment of the will of the
Father, of his plan of salvation;( Compare John 17:2,4,6,9,11,12,24.)49 and deliverance from evil.( Compare John 17:15.)50 –CCC
2751 Finally, in this prayer Jesus reveals and
gives to us the "knowledge," inseparably one, of the Father and of
the Son,( Compare John 17:3,6-10,25.)51 which is the very mystery of the life
of prayer. –CCC
IN BRIEF
2752 Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. The battle of prayer is inseparable from the necessary "spiritual battle" to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live, because we live as we pray. --CCC
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