Time to Pray

Friday, May. 08, 2015

One of the quotes from the Evening Prayer that strikes me each time I read it is “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Peter:5-8) 

I like this quote, probably because I want to believe that I’d be brave enough to resist the lion.

Whether or not that’s true, I’ve just come to the realization that I’m not smart enough to resist the deceiver in more subtle guises.

Case in point is the current state of my prayer life. During Lent, and even the first week of Easter, I was setting aside time for quiet reflection, as well as attending daily Mass several times a week. I can’t point to any material benefit from this, but I certainly felt as though I was progressing past the first rung on the stairway to heaven.

Then life happened, and one day I realized it’d been weeks since I’d sat with God.

It wasn’t that I was completely ignoring my faith: I went to Patrick Madrid’s presentation and attended the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women convention. (I suppose if you want to nitpick you could point out that my presence at those events was because I was working, but I was there and paying attention, so that counts, doesn’t it?)

However, as much as I need to learn to defend my faith and refresh myself by gathering in community, I now understand that these practices can’t replace individual prayer. 

After a couple weeks of not hearing from me, God wasn’t subtle about pointing out my neglect. (I did at one time tell him that I’m not very good at catching his whisper, so I gave him permission to knock me upside the head with a two-by-four when necessary, and he has taken me at my word.)

God’s reminder came in two forms, almost back to back. I’ve been reading Sayings of the Desert Fathers, translated by Benedicta Ward SLG, and this quote from Agathon jumped out at me: “I think there is no labour greater than that of prayer to God. For every time a man wants to pray, his enemies, the demons, want to prevent him, for they know that it is only by turning him from prayer that they can hinder his journey.”

Reading that, I thought, “Oh. I can blame my lack of prayer on demons? And here I thought it was just life interfering.” 

(At some point I’m going to have to talk to a priest about whether it’s just me allowing myself to be distracted or whether it’s demons, but that is a topic for another column.)

Then, then very next day – I told you God wasn’t being delicate in his reproach! – Archbishop Wester used his homily to expound on the Gospel reading for the weekend, about pruning away branches that don’t bear fruit (John 15).

For us individuals, these “branches” include elements of our ego, our lack of trust in God, our fears, our selfishness, our greed, our jealousy, the archbishop said.

The only way to prune these away is to provide time for quiet prayer; this prayer is time to listen, not talk. If we talk, we’re putting ourselves center stage rather than God, Archbishop Wester said.

He suggested taking five minutes a day to let God whisper to us. It works, even if it doesn’t seem to be, he said. 

I know from experience that it does work. But first I have to do it, life or demons notwithstanding. I hope you will, too. It’s worth the five minutes. I guarantee it.