Prayer Changes Things

[DL82]

I have noticed, having been Protestant before, and currently in the process of becoming Catholic, that Catholics tend to pray differently.

I mean that often in my old church, we would actually pray for God to do something, e.g. heal a person of their illness.

Generally, it seems that Catholics are more comfortable praying for God to ‘comfort’ someone in their illness, or accept their suffering as a sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

While these are good sentiments, and worth bearing in mind that God’s will is perfect, and He always gives us what we really need, I believe that Jesus taught us to actually pray for our heart’s desire (provided it’s not for something sinful) and that God really does answer prayer. I have seen God answer prayer in my own life and the lives of those around me.

Do Catholics ever actually pray for God to intervene in the world to change things? Or is Catholic prayer only ever about changing our hearts to obey God’s will as revealed in the way things presently are in the world?

Ironically, it should be the Protestants, with their belief in predestination, who should find it a problem to pray for God to change things. God has given us free will, which means our world is influenced by our sinful behaviour, and I believe that God does intervene to change it around for the better. Am I misunderstanding God?

I have been told by some that I have a childish view of God if I think he’s just going to grant me a whole load of wishes every time I pray. But isn’t that what Jesus taught us to do?

 

[Deidre]

Jesus taught us to pray “Thy will be done.” I believe that it’s perfectly fine to express our own will in prayer - as Jesus expressed His will the the Garden before He was betrayed. But ultimately we should express confidence that God’s wisdom surpasses our own and should be willing to not only accept but embrace His will when it is different than ours. For instance in my parish when we pray for the sick, we ask that their health be restored ‘according to God’s will and their hearts filled with peace.’

 

[LilyM]

Certainly there’s nothing wrong with praying for what we want … to a point.

Let’s look seriously at the two best known examples of Jesus praying. The first of course is the Our Father. The first petition in this prayer is ‘thy will be done’. Not ‘what I want be done’. And how much of the Our Father is about our personal needs or wants really? Precisely one line - ‘give us our daily bread’.

Note the way it’s phrased. Bread - symbolising our most basic needs. Not a load of superfluous stuff that we think would be good. Now good health is desirable, don’t get me wrong. But our most basic need means our salvation, spiritual health rather than any material good. And even physical health isn’t at all necessary or relevant in the eternal scheme of things.

The second - Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed for his cup of suffering to be taken away. Again, seemingly, not at all a bad request (nothing he requested could be bad after all!) - but not one that was granted. Obviously not the Father’s will. And again notice that he immediately adds ‘not my will, but thine be done’.

So do we pray as we THINK Jesus taught us to pray or do we pray using his actual words and example as a template? I think I know which is probably the right way to pray. So to summarise - it’s not bad to pray for what you want, but realise that the Father has his own ideas about how things should be run, funnily enough, and I don’t think he takes requests so very readily.

 

[Eileen_T]

Your post is interesting. I read somewhere that Catholics tend to have a greater ability/facilty to accept sufferings and evil because we know that God brings good out of evil.

Therefore, we can accept when things go badly because we believe He is in control.

My first child lived 5 hours. I grieved so much that I could not talk about her for 14 years, when I underwent a healing (I lost 4 more). Sometime after that I realised that she was the only one of my children who has never offended God by sin. I was consoled.

Then, my husband was out of work and underwent depression. At this time in my life I was trusting God to know what was best. After a time he started attending daily Mass with me and eventually came back to the Sacraments after 20 years.

When something goes nasty in my life I pray that it may pass, if it is God’s Will, but I accept it because I know that God has plans that are not within my understanding.

I don’t pray for God to change things, I thank Him for His Goodness and Love. I know that He will provide for my needs, and I even thank Him for the bad things that have happened in my life because He has managed to use them for His glory. It is a matter of Trust and Faith.

I trust God to know what is best for me even when things look darkest.

I have been told by some that I have a childish view of God if I think he’s just going to grant me a whole load of wishes every time I pray. But isn’t that what Jesus taught us to do?

“But, not My will, but Thine be done.”

 

[chevalier]

I mean that often in my old church, we would actually pray for God to do something, e.g. heal a person of their illness.

I’ve done that too…

Generally, it seems that Catholics are more comfortable praying for God to ‘comfort’ someone in their illness, or accept their suffering as a sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

Yeah, that’s more comfortable. Depends also if we’re praying for ourselves or for other people.

While these are good sentiments, and worth bearing in mind that God’s will is perfect, and He always gives us what we really need, I believe that Jesus taught us to actually pray for our heart’s desire (provided it’s not for something sinful) and that God really does answer prayer. I have seen God answer prayer in my own life and the lives of those around me.

As have I, sometimes within minutes. I could give you examples. Yesterday, I prayed for that little scenic Way of the Cross with reflections of Pope John Paul II we were playing to go well. I had to leave my coat where I was when my turn to walk up came. Later, a middle-aged lady came up with my coat to the sacristy where we were dealing away with the robes and stuff, and started asking what theatre we were from, how the arrangement happened etc, and it she couldn’t believe we were random folks from the parish. It must have come out better than we were expecting, so it looks like prayers worked.

Do Catholics ever actually pray for God to intervene in the world to change things? Or is Catholic prayer only ever about changing our hearts to obey God’s will as revealed in the way things presently are in the world?

No, it’s all right to pray for specific things. Well, depends on the intent and all, but don’t we pray for salvation of souls, for example? Or for conversion or conversion of heart? Many institutional prayers involve praying for very specific things as a whole congregation. Save us from this or that, allow us to confess before we die… that’s also asking for a concrete act.

Ironically, it should be the Protestants, with their belief in predestination, who should find it a problem to pray for God to change things. God has given us free will, which means our world is influenced by our sinful behaviour, and I believe that God does intervene to change it around for the better. Am I misunderstanding God?

I tend to agree.

I have been told by some that I have a childish view of God if I think he’s just going to grant me a whole load of wishes every time I pray. But isn’t that what Jesus taught us to do?

Depends. Actually, a childish view wouldn’t be so bad. “Come to me as children.” “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” A child’s prayer is often the purest and most earnest of all. What would be the wrong approach, would be treating God as a dispenser of goods or caring for Him only when we need something, turning to Him only for the granting of wishes and so on. There’s a difference between a good child and a spoilt brat.

 

[Teelynn]

I have been told by some that I have a childish view of God if I think he’s just going to grant me a whole load of wishes every time I pray. But isn’t that what Jesus taught us to do?/quote

I agree with Chev on this as Jesus taught us to have the mindset of children, with the total trust and faith to go along with it. And yes, to pray for specific things that we need in our lives. (good health, or the health of our loved ones, healings, financial difficulties, relationships, etc, etc.) And to pray with total faith and trust that God has the situation under control. And that yes, indeed, if it will benefit our eternal souls, He will grant our request. BUT…the timing must be HIS timing…and if He is seeming to say NO, He has a perfect reason for it. One that is good for us as well as others. If we can still trust Him completely even when He seems to be telling us NO, and offer our sufferings up to Him, then we are doing His will in the situation. God does not think or act in the way that we do. (sometimes we have to keep reminding ourselves of this) His plan for us, however, is PERFECT. (lots of times He indeed says YES to us, as I have had Him say yes more times than no in my life )

 

[RPConover]

My opinion is that it never hurts to ask, the worst that could happen is God says “no” If that’s the case one knows it was not God’s will…

 

[blessedstar]

Prayer changes you. That is you, me, everybody and the world.

Yes it is good to make prayers of petition, that is, asking God for things/healings etc, but we don’t want our prayers to be a shopping list of what we want because what we want may not be what we or others need.

If there was no need to suffer God would not allow suffering even though God does not cause suffering. It is precisely because God loves us that He sends us the cross and so we suffer.

Your question is more about suffering which is the greatest prayer after the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass that we can offer to God.

If anyone was to say that they understand all about suffering, all the reasons for it and give you a detailed explanation of it I would say they are a liar. I believe that suffering is the greatest mystery of life and faith. No person yet or who will be born will understand suffering entirely this side of life, that is because suffering is the faith-filled work that we do for our own soul and for the souls of others united to the Sufferings of Christ. So I tell you certainly that to suffer well and value suffering requires faith.

The great mystery of suffering is not explored anywhere else more deeply than it is within the Catholic Church and whilst she preaches the Cross of Christ she cannot delve deeply into its depths until she is united to her groom, Christ Jesus.

The other thing is, is that I believe that God does not wait for us to exactly word our prayers ‘correctly’. It is the Holy Spirit who prays within us and His prayer is never at fault. God looks at the love in our hearts and grants according to His will.

I have been blessed to have a life of suffering. I never ask for God to take it from me, I never ask for God to send me suffering. I simply ask for His will and thank Him for everything.

Prayer changes us, it transforms us in Christ Jesus because the One Who we pray to is Lord of all of the World. When we pray He enters into our lives in ways in which He would not do so otherwise.

If we are changed by prayer we realise it is no longer our will we seek, but the Fathers.

Praying does not mean you or others will avoid the cross, we all carry a cross, but what it does mean is that we are changed in order to shoulder the cross with Christ Jesus.

Pray this way, with your life offering your life and all those you love in your life and all those you hear of who you may never meet and place them in the Sacred Wounds of Christ Jesus asking for the father’s will by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In my prayers to Our Blessed Virgin and Mother Mary.

 

[Rebecca_New]

I take great consolation in St. Monica, who prayed for her son, and look what happened, her son, St. Augustine , is a Doctor of the Church!

 

[blessedstar]

Prayer changes you. That is you, me, everybody and the world.

Yes it is good to make prayers of petition, that is, asking God for things/healings etc, but we don’t want our prayers to be a shopping list of what we want because what we want may not be what we or others need.

If there was no need to suffer God would not allow suffering even though God does not cause suffering. It is precisely because God loves us that He sends us the cross and so we suffer.

Your question is more about suffering which is the greatest prayer after the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass that we can offer to God.

If anyone was to say that they understand all about suffering, all the reasons for it and give you a detailed explanation of it I would say they are a liar. I believe that suffering is the greatest mystery of life and faith. No person yet or who will be born will understand suffering entirely this side of life, that is because suffering is the faith-filled work that we do for our own soul and for the souls of others united to the Sufferings of Christ. So I tell you certainly that to suffer well and value suffering requires faith.

The great mystery of suffering is not explored anywhere else more deeply than it is within the Catholic Church and whilst she preaches the Cross of Christ she cannot delve deeply into its depths until she is united to her groom, Christ Jesus.

The other thing is, is that I believe that God does not wait for us to exactly word our prayers ‘correctly’. It is the Holy Spirit who prays within us and His prayer is never at fault. God looks at the love in our hearts and grants according to His will.

I have been blessed to have a life of suffering. I never ask for God to take it from me, I never ask for God to send me suffering. I simply ask for His will and thank Him for everything.

Prayer changes us, it transforms us in Christ Jesus because the One Who we pray to is Lord of all of the World. When we pray He enters into our lives in ways in which He would not do so otherwise.

If we are changed by prayer we realise it is no longer our will we seek, but the Fathers.

Praying does not mean you or others will avoid the cross, we all carry a cross, but what it does mean is that we are changed in order to shoulder the cross with Christ Jesus.

Pray this way, with your life offering your life and all those you love in your life and all those you hear of who you may never meet and place them in the Sacred Wounds of Christ Jesus asking for the Father’s will by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray simply offering God the love in your heart and not with long speeches.

In my prayers to Our Blessed Virgin and Mother Mary.