The True Power of Prayer

May 1, 2023

Far from wishful thinking or a way to manipulate God, prayer opens our hearts to receive God’s love and transform the world

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

May 1, 2023

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

When a tragedy occurs, such as a school shooting, we pray for the victims and their families. We pray for the grieving community and for first responders. We pray for those who perpetrated such violence and for an end to violence in our society.

These days, however, when someone publicly calls for prayer, the criticism is often severe. “What good is prayer?” some ask. “If it were effective, such tragedies wouldn’t happen.” Others concede that people can pray if they choose, but insist that what really matters is better laws and policies. Anything else, they say, is futile.

It should not come as a surprise that prayer is in the crosshairs of an increasingly secular society. To the nonreligious, prayer seems, at best, a distraction from the work at hand. But prayer doesn’t absolve people of faith from working for a more just and peaceful society. Instead, it elevates and informs both our reason and resolve as we strive to work for peace and justice.

As the family of the Knights of Columbus, we are committed to prayer. Sunday Mass and the Eucharist are at the heart of our lives as Catholics and as members of the Order. We are urged to read Scripture prayerfully, to frequently pray the rosary, and to pray daily for the canonization of our founder, Blessed Michael McGivney.

When we pray for our families, for the Church, for our society, what are we doing? We are not engaging in wishful thinking. Nor are we telling God what to do. Prayer is not a way of manipulating God. Above all, it is conversation — it is how we enter into communion with God and deepen our friendship with him. And if prayer is conversation, we cannot do all the talking. That is why Jesus tells us that when praying we should not “babble” like the pagans (Mt 6:7). Prayer involves listening to and responding to God, receiving his love and expressing our love for him.

Above all, prayer is conversation — it is how we enter into communion with God and deepen our friendship with him. And if prayer is conversation, we cannot do all the talking.

Experience teaches us the importance of listening to others before we speak. All the more should we listen to God when we pray. How can we do this? One way is by reading Scripture prayerfully, what is called lectio divina (divine reading). Here we take just a few lines of Scripture and savor them. We spend time in silent meditation and allow his word to resonate in our hearts.

What happens when we do this? St. Paul tells us that our hearts are “open wide” (2 Cor 6:11). As we listen to God’s word, we make more room in our hearts for God and others. Our relationship with God ceases to be transactional; we begin to love God for who he is in himself and to love others in the same way. We are prepared to receive God’s gifts, even if they are not the gifts we want or think we need. Instead, we open ourselves to God’s superior wisdom and merciful love.

When we take this all-important step in prayer, our response to God is praise, thanksgiving, loving amazement and humility in his presence. We express a filial trust in his mercy, a desire to ask for and receive what he wants to give us. We will pray, not only for our own needs, but for the needs of others, especially for the conversion of minds and hearts — our own and those of others. We will have the grace to entrust to God’s mercy both those who have been harmed and those who have harmed others. Indeed, if we have prayed well, we will be better equipped to discern and work for positive change in society!

When the archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of God, he found her at prayer. As we pray the rosary, let us ask Mary to help us meditate on the mysteries of her Son and so deepen our friendship with him.

Metal bucket at draw-well in European village.

The True Power of Prayer

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