The Perfect Prayer
For as long as I can remember, my grandma always had this big image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the dining room. I often would see her standing in front of it, praying in the middle of the day.
When she finished, she would tell me about how she talks to Him all day. She'd emphasize that I simply needed to talk with him. It didn't need to be a formal task, it was more about having an open conversation. And I've always followed this advice.
Although, I appreciate the formalities of the Catholic mass, on a day-to-day basis, I feel awkward trying to be proper 100% of the time. If I waited until I had the perfect way to word things when talking with God, I wouldn't speak with Him at all.
I'm a perfectionist at my core, so I need our relationship to be casual. Maybe this will change as I get older, but for now, I enjoy having the balance of both formalities on Sunday Mass and casual conversations the remainder of the time.
In my mom's video in Spanish about a month ago, she mentioned that God had left us a prayer in Mathew 6: 9 -13 saying:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
In mass, we pray this with slight variations (instead of debt, it's trespasses), but the concept of forgiveness is still there.
Prayer is about gratitude and forgiveness.
We often focus on what we need, everything we want God to help us with, but how often do we also include gratitude and a heartfelt forgiveness for those who have wronged us or caused us pain?
I can say that for me, it's rare to include forgiveness in the mix. Gratitude is something I try to practice daily, so that comes easy, but to forgive those who made me upset or hurt me, that is something I don't even know how to start without sounding judgemental.
In addition to it, when we pray it's also supposed to be something intimate, without distractions which with the internet and different devices, it's challenging to "find the time."
But isn't it funny how somehow, as a society used to find the time to walk thousands of miles to get places, we would spend hours doing medial tasks, and yet somehow when we have all of these tools to help us be more efficient, the time seems to disappear before our eyes? Our attention is always being persued through algorithms and technology.
It's on us to find the times of peace. It's our responsibility to commit to God, give Him time. He blesses us with life, 24 hours a day, and we can't find a few minutes to talk to Him? How is He supposed to talk to us amid all the noise? It's our challenge to appreciate the quiet, the peace, and be ready for when He has a message for us.
God wants what is best for us, so why is it we avoid Him? It's heartbreaking the more I think about it. I can't imagine ignoring my loved ones for the sake of watching a 60 second clip, yet, we constantly do that to God. We sacrifice time with Him for our immediate pleasures.
No app, video, or pastime will tell you, "Stop and pray." It's something that must come from our hearts. And when we do, even if, like me, it's hard to balance judgment and forgiveness of others, I think we still need to find the courage to do it. He will help us figure it out as we do it more constantly.
Prayer puts us in God's hands, knowing that He wants the best for us. It forces us to be humble and grateful for all of the good things He has given us and will bless us with.