Prayer as Conscious Relationship

As I have been thinking about prayer, I recently read an article by Fr. William Barry, S.J. titled “Prayer as Conscious Relationship”. Here are several thoughts he brought to surface for me concerning prayer.

  Fr. Barry “spells out a few implications of a working definition. First, when I become conscious of God’s actions, no matter how dimly, then I am praying, even if I do not say a word. If you think of prayer as conscious relationship, any time of the day or night can be prayer time. I can be walking along with someone, both of us admiring the fall foliage, and it is a conscious relationship even if no words are spoken, as long as I am aware of the other’s presence. So too with God.  Second, we can make prayers of petition more understandable. Why ask God for something if he is all-knowing and loving? He does not need information, e.g., that my best friend is sick and I want him to get well. But if prayer is relationship, the issue is not information, but whether I believe he cares how I feel and whether I am willing to let him know what I feel and desire, that is, to reveal myself. Third, distractions in prayer are as normal and ordinary as they are in any relationship. You can be with someone you deeply love and be in a deep conversation and suddenly wonder if you put out the lights in the car. So too in prayer. Also distractions during a conversation with a friend sometimes come because you do not want to hear what the friend is saying or because you are bored with the friend. The same thing can happen during prayer. Finally, if prayer is just conscious relationship, it is not something esoteric, for saints and mystics. It is open to anyone, including the likes of us."

From GOD AND YOU: PRAYER AS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, 1987

Br. Don Lee, S.J.

Fusz Hall Campus Minister