“God is in his holy dwelling place; the God who
causes us to dwell together, one at heart, in his house;
he himself will give power and strength to his people.”
Introit, 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Two things that I have struggled with for quite some time are prayer and community, which, interestingly enough, are strongly tied to some of the most distinct memories of my childhood. When I was growing up, I remember feeling both very lonely and very supported. There weren’t many other families in our area who shared our beliefs, so I often found myself spending the majority of time with my family, simply because it was usually the easiest and most comfortable option to be around people who were on the same wavelength. My family was one of the biggest blessings during that time in my life, but I still longed for friends my own age, friends who could understand my lifestyle choices, and who made similar ones because they loved the Lord as I did. So from a young age, solid, Catholic community was always a deep desire of mine.
I also remember very vividly how my family would come together and pray. And I don’t mean just the many beautiful, ritual prayers we have in our faith. We would gather in our living room or kitchen and just sit and pray with each other, spontaneously and from our hearts, for whatever intentions any of us had. These times of prayer were incredibly powerful and grace-filled… not because the Lord always answered our prayers exactly how we wanted Him to, but because we were together. It always made me think of the early Church, and it felt like somehow, we were tapping into a larger community outside our own family.
I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer and community lately. Prayer, because for years now, I have almost completely abandoned the kind of prayer described above, and shied away from any prayer that requires vulnerability in front of God. The likelihood of me making any requests of the Lord has become slim to none, and, I must confess, my attitude has at times been rather resentful:
“Why should I bother praying? It doesn’t do any good.”
“God never gives me what I ask for, so He must not really love me or have my best interests at heart.”
“If God wants to do something, He’ll make it happen whether I ask Him to or not , so I shouldn’t waste my time and energy.”
“The Lord probably won’t give me what I’m asking for, so why should I get my hopes up?”
I know I’m not the only one who thinks these things. And I don’t have the answers to all these questions, nor am I certain that I will ever have the answers.
What I do know, however, is that next to frequent reception of the Sacraments, prayer is not only necessary in our journey of faith, it’s vital. Any relationship without communication becomes stagnant and lifeless, and prayer is all about relationship. This is, in fact, the purpose of all prayer: to recollect the heart, to communicate with God, the “other” in the relationship. As the Catechism explains so beautifully,
“Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment.
But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all.
…prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart
‘We must remember God more often than we draw breath.’” (2697)
This is all related to why I’ve also been thinking about community. Authentic Catholic community not only fosters a life of prayer, but is actually built upon it. The Mass; Liturgy of the Hours; Special feast day celebrations; The Rosary; The Chaplet of Divine Mercy; Prayer groups; Family prayer; Intercessory prayer. And no matter what forms of prayer are used, the goal is still communio: union with God and, within community, each other. Because we were created for relationship, most especially with God, but also with other human beings. We need community!
Community and prayer go hand in hand. St. Andrew Kim Taegon, a Korean martyr, summarizes this perfectly. Before he went to his death, he exhorted those remaining to be like the early Church, saying “Even if you are many, be of one heart.” In other words, we are supposed to encourage and support one another through prayer, and to individually have such a deep life of prayer that we are one with the Lord, with the people in our faith community, and with all the members of the Church scattered throughout the world.
So to those living in places devoid of like-minded Catholics and to those fortunate enough to be part of vibrant communities; we come together in prayer. As St. Pope John Paul II reminds us, all believers must “draw from divine love the strength to remain united and to resist evil,” and in so doing, become (like the early Church) one heart in “unity of intentions” and a “spirit of love.”[1]
But it has to start with you. Your personal devotion and daily commitment to prayer can and will have an effect on the universal church and inspire those around you, encouraging them to walk towards the same goal. Do whatever it takes to keep the lines of communication with God open — fight for it, sacrifice for it! Ask the Lord for the grace to earnestly seek Him in prayer, and to desire holiness not only for yourself, but for those around you as well. And know you are not alone. Whenever you pray you are uniting yourself to God and all of heaven, but you are also one with the multitude of believers spread across the world. And even if you never feel a thing, you will receive grace and begin to notice a dramatic difference in your life.
Reach out to family, friends, acquaintances, and ask them what they need prayer for — and then actually pray for them. Check in with them to follow up on their intentions. The Lord will always give grace and mercy to you and those for whom you pray. Start a prayer group with a few close friends nearby, or even using social media. Any effort you put into prayer will pay off, and will not only bring you closer to the Lord, but will build community, drawing others along with you on the journey towards our heavenly homeland.
