College Chaplain

The importance of intercessory, persevering, and consistent prayers!!

"Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself."

- St. John Vianney.

Bill was a notorious and troublesome boy in the class. The Teacher was always finding it hard to control him, disturbing the whole class. She was sad. One day as the boy entered the class, he found the Teacher writing something in shorthand, and the boy asked her out of curiosity what she was writing. She told him quietly that it was a prayer. The boy asked her whether God knows short-hand, and she said God knows everything and reads every heart. As she looked at the board, the boy took the letter and hid it in his book. After several years when Bill was a successful man, when he looked through his past materials, found this note and, out of curiosity, took it to the office to translate. The clerk told him that the note said: "Dear God, I am finding it difficult to control Bill, and he disturbs me. Please touch his heart. He is capable and can be particularly good or very evil." Bill had tears in his eyes. He knew the prayers of his Teacher were heard.

Last Sunday, the reading centred around the importance of intercessory, persevering, and consistent prayers. We saw in the first reading how Abraham took the courage to stand before the Lord, appealing that He reconsiders the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded for divine mercy as he was concerned that God would destroy Sodom, where his nephew Lot was staying. What fascinates one most is Abraham's closeness to God, solidified in a consistent and persevering disposition to pray always. 

Abraham teaches us that we must pray always, and in our prayers, we must find some Charity within us to intercede for others. We must not underestimate the power of the Prayer of intercession. There is a saying: (of course, humanly speaking) “God governs the world, while prayer governs God.” Through our intercession, God can save the righteous, heal the sick, and deliver those in all types of danger. It does not matter how far they are from us because the distance is not a barrier for God to hear us or act on our behalf. There are many benefits of intercessory Prayer. It is a way to stand in the gap for others, petition God on behalf of others, and see breakthroughs in their lives. Intercessory Prayer can also bring physical healing and emotional restoration. God is pleased when we present others' needs to him in place of ours. In answer, He does grant both theirs and ours. 

In the second reading, Paul reminds us of our redemption in Christ. He reminds us that this was possible due to our faith in God, who raised Jesus from the dead. Therefore, through this same faith, we must constantly approach God our Father in Prayer. Through this same faith, we must intercede for others, especially for our world in chaos. 

In his first letter to the Thessalonian church, St Paul finishes with the words “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Obviously, St Paul is not saying that we should spend all day long with a head-bowed, eyes-closed posture. St Paul is not encouraging a non-stop talking method of Prayer but an attitude of “God-consciousness and God-surrender” that we carry with us all the time. Every moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our everyday, every minute and every hour thoughts and actions. St. Therese of Lisieux understood Prayer as “is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and love, embracing both trial and joy."

That is why the apostles of Jesus and His disciple, after observing Jesus, asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus went on to give to us the “Our Father”. According to Tertullian, the “Our Father,” is the "summary of the whole Gospel" because it is a prayer of love that seeks the good and well-being of others. St. Thomas Aquinas calls it "perfect prayer" because it explores and integrates the various kinds and forms of Prayer that give us a module for Christian prayer life. Bishop Fulton Sheen comments on the Lord's Prayer: "The man who thinks only of himself says prayers of petition. He who thinks of his neighbour says prayers of intercession. He who thinks only of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God's will, which is the Prayer of the saints". The Lord's Prayer invites us to "pray without season".

Therefore, for us Christians, Prayer should be like breathing. The concept of Prayer should be as natural to children of God as breathing is to everyone. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”- Martin Luther. St Padre Pio called it the “oxygen of the soul”. When our thoughts turn to worry, fear, discouragement, and anger, we are to turn every thought consciously and quickly into Prayer and every Prayer into thanksgiving. 

Jesus teaches us that a Prayer is a necessary tool for us. All we need is to be persistent, patient, and humble. Unfortunately, most of us do not tarry and travail in Prayer, yet we want mountains to be moved on our behalf. The reason is simple, we have lost faith in Prayer and God.

Because life is full of uncertainties, we must try to hold onto Jesus in Prayer, who says to us that He is "the Way, Truth and Life". we must revive our prayer life and burn with the zeal to pray. Prayer is a "simple project" that accomplishes a lot. It is also a thing of the spirit. Hence, Paul reminds us: "We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us in groans that words cannot express" (Rom 8:26). So, we must constantly ask the Spirit of Jesus to help us to pray. Also, it is essential to note that if we pray according to the will and mind of God, He will hear us.

Finally, our God never goes to sleep. He knows when, where, and how to respond. Therefore, we must not give up the habit of praying and interceding for one another because Prayer unlocks the heart of God. It breaks barriers and brings down the power of God. Jesus himself started his ministry with Prayer and ended it with Prayer. If we persevere in Prayer, we shall gladly testify: "On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord!"

Fr Cyprian Onuorah