NYC East Village Street Shrine 2001, photo by Karol Jackowski
Praying is not the private property of religions. Often I see street shrines where some fatal accident happened, or meet someone who spontaneously asks that I join them in praying for a special intention. There are times in life that move many to pray in their own way. When we see a lit candle on a piece of holy ground where someone died, many of us will pause prayerfully as we pass by—but most of us experience prayer privately in our rooms, with the door closed. Whatever way we choose to pray, we are moved to do so because of what happens to us. Nothing I know of changes the way we feel more instantly and deeply than prayer. How does that happen?
We Learn We're Not Alone
Regardless of how wiped out and devastated we may feel, in prayer we are never alone. When you don’t know what to do, relax and pray; know that other parts of yourself do know and they will help you. Even though it isn’t often seen, there is a divine light that surrounds you when you pray, illuminating your understanding and helping you see more clearly. In prayer, you begin to see that you are guided divinely and can deal with whatever life brings you. In prayer, you know that you are never as alone as you feel.
We Let Go
When we pray, we let go of what bothers us. We place our worries in the lap of God, or send them into the Universe, and the mere effort brings relief. In writing about how good it is to pray even when we barely have the energy to do so, the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, noticed, “You give something of your silly self away, and that always nourishes you.” In letting go of what bothers us the burden is lifted and next steps are revealed; even if the next step is to “do nothing.”
We Become Better
Not only do we feel better when we pray, but we become better too. Prayer centers us. It’s the rock upon which we’re called to build our lives, so we don’t get thrown by every adversity that crosses our path. Prayer pulls us back to the center of our lives where we can allow all things to take their course; making us more reflective and less impulsive, more accepting and less judgmental. We become better human beings when we pray, not worse, and that makes a miraculous difference in all our lives.
Until next week, think about this: “Prayer does not change God, but it changes the one who prays.” Soren Kierkegaard
