Why do we pray?

 This Sunday we focus on why we pray. Often in modern culture prayer can be portrayed as trying to twist God's arm to fulfill our own wishes rather than a relationship that will sustain us. This allows us to be people who allow our whole life to become the field of God's desire for us rather than a random thought which pops into our minds. This is why we need to become people who pray always by allowing God to transform our hearts. We are called to become people who seek God's desire in all things.

In the conversation we see Abraham negotiating with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When we reflect on this story we can be tempted to view God, who needs to be talked down from taking punitive action against the residents of these cities. The image that can play out is a God who seems to be looking at reality from a distance whereas Abraham is aware of what is happening on the ground. I believe this is a good starting point for understanding prayer. What do we do when we confront evil in the lives of others and what do we seek for those people. Abraham, I think eloquently speaks for the need for at least one good man to give witness to the people. Often it is this prophetic witness of a person who does not go along with the opinion of the age but trusts in a truth that speaks to the heart of every age. 

As Jesus teaches his disciples to pray he takes up this theme of seeking God's kingdom in our day-to-day reality. The Our Father which is the pattern of all prayer does not see God as removed from our lives but at the heart of life. Jesus shows that we seek God in the midst of what is needed today and seek to learn how to reconcile our conflicted hearts. This allows us to notice that our prayer is essential communal as it does not just seek the good for ourselves but for all people, especially for those that we feel are lost due to their sinful actions against ourselves. He cautions about living a life that allows us to be tempted to believe that the evil one has control over our destiny.

This is why we are called to allow prayer to be at the heart of our daily life. To notice the two voices which can seem to be at war within ourselves. The voice that speaks of desolation and ruin and the voice that speaks of faith, hope, and charity. This is more than just mind games but rather a recognition that where our hearts are our actions quickly follow. Thus our prayer is always at the heart of real life. It calls for a discerning heart that leads us towards God. At times this will take every ounce of our trust that God is at the heart of our prayer that we may seek the goodness of God in all things.