When I wasn’t hurtling like a greased porpoise down a slip-n-slide, or trying to tear the arms off of my neighbor’s Stretch Armstrong as a kid, I often played Solitaire.
Of course, Solitaire is all about getting the right cards at the right time. And when the prospect of “winning” grew dim, I would praise God.
“You’re so great, God! Thank you for life. Thank you for making me a boy and not like my gross sisters.” And so on.
In my twisted little world, I thought God would respond to some “buttering up” and give me the right card.
Overhearing me from the kitchen one day, my mother called out, “It doesn’t work like that, Matt!”
And before (or after) you’re finished chuckling at my expense, take a look in the mirror. We’ve all done it.
When we want or need something really badly, we “ramp up” our activities vis-a-vis God. Maybe we say a few extra “Hail Mary’s” or darken the door of an adoration chapel at midnight.
“Hey God! You seein’ this?” we cry. “How about helping me out?”
The problem with this is that Scripture (particularly Hebrews 13:8) and the Catechism both tell us that God is unchangeable. You could live in the adoration chapel and it wouldn’t change His mind. (Though it might get your parish membership revoked.)
His perfect will is going to be accomplished one way or the other. We can either accept it, a choice that leads to happiness, or we can reject it, a choice that leads to misery. It’s that simple.
Still, I know some of you are still asking, “If it’s ultimately going to happen one way or the other, why bother to pray?”
Yes, God is unchangeable and His will is going to be done one way or the other. But just as there are many ways to arrive at a particular destination, God’s will can can come to fruition in any number of ways. In fact, He is constantly working with and around our mistakes or better yet, capitalizing on our faithfulness.
And prayer is huge part of that faithfulness.
"But Matthew, why is prayer even necessary? Why is that a big part of how we show our faithfulness?"
And the short answer is that we pray because that’s how God set it up. It’s an homage to His providence. In fact, prayer acknowledges there is a God and that we are governed by a divine Being who is deeply interested in the affairs of our life.
Just like a parent wants their child to "ask nicely", our Father desires we approach Him as the children we are. Prayer keeps us humble and reminds us of our place in the supernatural order. God is Father. We are children, completely and utterly dependent upon Him.
“But isn’t prayer like training for a contest that’s already over or a game that ended yesterday? God already knows what’s going to happen, so what’s the point of it?”
First of all, similar to the popularity of professional wrestling, we have to accept on some level that there is a mystery about all of this we’re just not going to understand this side of heaven. After all, we’re getting into the complicated relationship of grace and nature.
That being said, the short answer is this: We pray in order to release God’s grace because that’s the way He set it up. Call it cause and effect.
Think about it.
We all recognize that in the natural world God has set things up in a particular way. There are certain rules that govern our existence. For example, going to the dentist is going to hurt. Trying to “fly” off your roof like Superman with nothing but a fitted sheet stolen off your parent's bed around your neck isn’t going to end well. If you want to reap a harvest, everybody knows you must first sow the seed.
Well, the same thing is true in the spiritual life.
To reap a spiritual harvest, you must first sow the spiritual seed. Prayer is that seed. It’s the primary cause that produces the effects of grace. It sets things in motion because that’s the way God wants it to be.
Ultimately, prayer isn’t for God. It’s for us. He doesn't need our prayer. We do!
It molds us into His image. It helps restore us to God’s likeness, which is what this life on earth is really all about. So with all that said, keep praying!
God bless!
Matthew
P.S. If you haven’t yet signed up for my FREE video series Catholic Mysticism & the Beautiful Life of Grace, what are you waiting for? It’s FREE! Join thousands of Catholics from all over the world who are already transforming their spiritual life. CHECK IT OUT HERE!
