Prayer

Early this morning I found myself thinking of the word, the concept of and the practice of what we generally call prayer. I thought of the example that the Buddhist Nun, Pema Chodron uses of the cartoon of the man on his knees with hands held together  saying to his God, “I asked you and  asked you to make me a better person and apparently you cannot be bothered.”   Sometimes we humans seem to use the word prayer to beg, entreat, ask for, demand that God give us or someone we love something we think that they need.  We might, for example, pray for healing for someone we care about, for a way to get out of a financial crisis, for a better job or a loving relationship.  We might also pray as a means of giving thanks, of asking for forgiveness, or for any number of reasons.

The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary states that prayer is from Old French preiere, based on the latin precarious “obtained by entreaty’, from prec-‘prayer’.   In the Old Testament used by Christians and Jews, the Hebrew word Tefilah is generally translated into English as the word “prayer” but some scholars maintain that this is a much too limited translation, “for to pray means to beg, beseech, implore, and the like, for which we have a number of Hebrew words which more accurately convey this meaning…  Prayer is a commandment of G-d: G-d has commanded us to pray to Him and to Him alone. In times of distress, we must turn to G-d for help; in times of comfort, we must express our gratitude to G-d; and when all goes well with us, we must still pray to G-d daily that He continue to to show us His mercy and grant our daily needs.” (Wkipedia encyclopedia).

Wikipedia  also tells us that “Religious behavior is one of the hallmarks of behavioral modernity, generally assumed to have emerged around 50,000 years ago, marking the transition from the middle to the Upper Paleolithic time.”

In India, Paramhansa Yogananda talks about the Ananda Sangha Healing Prayer Circle….Healing prayers are sent to others by drawing on this unlimited divine energy and then projecting it to the person in need. (anandaindia.org/tools-for-spiritual-living/ananda-sangha-healing-prayer-circle/)

I recall reading about and seeing photographs of the doctor, nurse, and family members surrounding a bed of a patient with cancer and directing all their positive energy to the destruction of a cancer growth.  It is alleged the subsequent tests would show that the cancer was no loner present.

There are Christian healers who claimed to facilitate the healing of the sick.   Even as a conservative Presbyterian minister I would sometimes find myself being asked to participate in the “laying on of hands” which purports to heal.  We also know that it is claimed that Jesus healed the sick.

Many times every day I get requests for prayers to which I always agree.  But what I am promising to do?  When I sign a note “love and prayers” what am I hoping to accomplish.  The word prayer is of course a noun whereas the word pray is a verb-an action word.  What is the action to which I am committing myself?

I am certainly not agreeing to ask God for anything because that would not be consistent with my beliefs.  My belief is that I always get what I need to grow spiritually. That is, God or a higher power, does not give or withhold certain gifts or experiences from me.  God is not going to cause me to have an auto accident, perform surgery on me, or show up to somehow magically make some medical treatment work for a friend who is being treated for cancer. 

I am also not confessing to God or my higher power all my “sins” .  It is no news that I am a human and much less than perfect; that I do and say things every day  which are hurtful to myself, others and Mother Earth – either by commission or omission.   I do, of course, need to get honest with myself and with at least one other person/God.

When I ‘chat’ with God or my higher power, I am not saying, “Hey dude, just thought I would let you know that  I am  human. At the same time I also thought I would let you know that you are royally messing up by not allowing Sam’s daughter to live or Cheryl to have money to pay her rent or.  I mean, really, what were you thinking?  Why did you allow over 400 immigrants to get lost in the Mediterranean Sea this week. (The St. Petersburg Tribune, April 16, 2015, p4).  Then there is the matter of that young man Aaron Hernandez, the young ex-NFL star who was convicted of murder and got life without parole.   As Anne Lamott might pray, “Would it have been too much to skin off your teeth to …”   To what?  Perhaps, if he is guilty of this murder and even of a former one in the Boston area, why could you have not helped him let to of whatever it was that caused him to behave in a way which sabotaged his life. Then, of course,there is the young 27 year old man Aaron is convicted of helping to kill.  What were you  thinking?  Could you just show a little more compassion?”

This is not my prayer but it certainly might be my thoughts at times. I would like a all loving, always forgiving, all powerful God which makes everyone behave while, of course, allowing me free will.  Well, there you have it.  That is a rather self centered or, if you rather, narcissistic desire or command  (as if I am giving direction or commands to God).

When I use the word prayer or when I commit to praying for someone I am committing to do my best to get quiet and as the Buddhist or the 12 step folks might say, “Get myself out of the way.”   Whether I am hearing that sacred, wise part of myself, the quiet wisdom which is the universe, the voice of God which is, of course, love or  connecting telepathically to some extra terrestrial energy source does not matter to me.   I do believe, with all my heart, that positive, loving energy is a tangible, living force which does have enormous healing energy.  At the same time I “know” that there is only this moment; that it does not matter whether I or someone else dies now or in 40  years (a second); that what we really have control over is how well we show up to love in this moment; about how well we let go of the desire or the illusion of control; about how well we let go of other attachment or expectations and just be present in love. Wow! That is no small deal.  It is also not easy for this human and it certainly does not happen without intention and the setting aside a time and place for my very busy mind to be quiet.  Is this prayer? I have no idea and am not sure it matters. I will choose to call it prayer or as my friend Virginia Hoefreuter might say, “Quit worrying about what you call it. Call it a dam shoebox. Just do it.”