Learning the Basics
All members of
the Church must acknowledge that we are sinners, whose only hope, whose sure
hope, is the patient God of all compassion, Who gives His children this hope:
that He graciously permits repentance for our sins!
My
friends, have you ever had that annoying experience of a particularly
presumptuous person pointing out that you didn't know how to do something which
you thought you had been doing just fine all your life? Whether it was the
meddlesome mother-in-law or the know-it-all teenager, I imagine we've all heard
things like, "You know, you walk funny!" or "Don't you know
there's a better way to tie your shoes?" or, my personal favorite,
"Are you sure that's how you spell your name?"
Of
course, generally, you and I would respond to such provocations with
patronizing sympathy for that poor simpleton who can't think of anything better
to do with his time than to rate people's perambulatory skills or crusade for
one certain method of tying or lacing shoes.
However,
particularly when the observation is made by a true expert in the field, there
can at times be quite an element of truth in at least some such annoying
claims. For instance, if a trusted family doctor remarked that "You know,
you're a bit stiff when you walk - why don't you relax a bit more?", most
of us would at least consider the possibility that maybe we can improve our
walking style. Even so, such observations are still difficult to accept because
they demand extraordinary humility - the personal admission that something
basic and fundamental in my life still needs improvement.
So
I wonder how the Romans reacted when Paul made that audacious claim (check out
the second reading) that " we do not know how to pray as we ought!" Maybe
their response was a bit of indignation, "Aren't you happy enough with the
fact that we are praying, and most of us have been praying all our lives? What
kind of hang-up do you have, Paul, that you feel the need to offer advice even
in this area?"
On
the other hand, maybe even the proud Romans were humble enough, and maybe you
and I can be humble enough today, to realize that Paul was a true expert in
this field, and so worthy of being taking seriously in even such an audacious
claim.
St.
John Damascene defined prayer simply as "the raising of one's mind and
heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." Simple enough -
so then, how is it conceivable that you and I do not know how to do this the
way we ought? It boils down to one word: humility. Humility is the foundation,
the essential ingredient of all true prayer. All too often when you and I pray,
we speak from the height of our own pride and will, and essentially dare to ask
God to do our will, because we think we know what's best for ourselves, or for
our loved ones, and we certainly know what's best for the people who annoy us!
In
contrast, true prayer comes "out of the depths" of a humble and
contrite heart. Only when you and I begin by humbly acknowledging that "we
do not know how to pray as we ought," are we then ready to receive freely
the gift of prayer. "Man is always a beggar before God," as St.
Augustine put it.
So,
are you and I convinced that "we do not know how to pray as we
ought"? Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father
knows what we need before we ask him, but He awaits our petition because the
dignity of His children lies in their freedom. We must pray, then, with His
Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what He wants.
Humility
then means that you or I can never dare to claim that any one of us is all
wheat and no weeds. All members of the Church must acknowledge that we are
sinners, whose only hope, whose sure hope, is the patient God of all
compassion, Who gives His children this hope: that He graciously permits
repentance for our sins! If the world had ended yesterday, God's harvesting
angels could easily have deduced that I and so many others belonged with the
weeds, yet the good Lord gave you and me the light of this new day, a new
opportunity to do penance, so today the dew of His Grace can wash us clean, and
today the fertile soil of humility can enable you and me to bear a rich harvest
for the Lord, because today we can set aside our will, and let the Spirit pray
in us, "Gracious Father, Thy will be done!"