One of the means without which spiritual life is not possible is prayer. I will begin with a quote from St. John Chrysostom: “If I speak about prayer, do not think that it is about words. Prayer is a desire for God. It is an ineffable love that does not originate from people, but has its source in divine grace. The Apostle says about it: “For we do not even know how we ought to pray.” So God himself intercedes for us with groans that cannot be expressed. If the Lord grants someone such a prayer, it is a wealth that no one can take away from him, a heavenly nourishment that satisfies the soul. Whoever tastes it will forever long for the Lord. It is as if a fierce fire has seized his heart.” St. John Chrysostom suggests that prayer is not a definition, that it is not a structure, it is not a right, or a norm, or a duty. Prayer is a gift from God and our response to it. There is much to say about prayer in various ways. I would like to remind you of just a few fundamental characteristics of Christian prayer. Because even in this environment, it appears that many things are called prayer. It is typical for a Christian that prayer is a response. God is the one who calls us to prayer. He calls us and speaks to us with His word, so Christian prayer is always a response, whether we are aware of it or not. Therefore, prayer grows out of listening. The prerequisite for Christian prayer is open ears, a willingness to perceive God, to live in His presence, and a willingness not to live for oneself. Christian prayer is not speaking into the void, it is not the grinding of a millstone. It cannot be replaced by any mechanism. It does not consist of fulfilling some quantity, reciting, or praying by rote. This is in complete contradiction to the essence of Christian prayer. Prayer, therefore, responds to God's word. And St. John Chrysostom says that it originates in divine grace. It is a manifestation of the relationship between me and God, mutual. It compels me to a personal response. An unmistakable sign, therefore, is that it must be a personal expression. Whether it is the prayer of the church, liturgical praise, the rosary, or any learned prayer, it must always be my prayer. If it is not my personal prayer, then I may be giving a nice performance here, but it has no meaning for my spiritual life. Of course, we do not pray only when we feel God's closeness. The spiritual life is not at all a matter of feelings. It is a matter of the response of a human being, and feelings to the extent that they are part of the whole human being. It is, therefore, a response of reason, will, feelings, spirit, body, a response of all. Therefore, a certain expression and attitude also belong to prayer. Because it is not merely a matter of feelings, we do not pray only when we feel like it. Since it is the mediator of relationships and an aid to our spiritual life, prayer must have its time, its place, and its way. This order, this rhythm, which is slightly different for each of us, greatly helps us to free ourselves from external things. This corresponds to the intention of creation.
Through prayer, we gain knowledge of God as He is, and this knowledge leads us back to prayer, and besides that, through prayer, our being is transformed. Because it is a moment of close connection with the one who acts. For this reason, Christian prayer is always an act; it is not empty words. It is something that God does in us. Therefore, if we pray, we act with God. It is a creative and creative act. Thus, God transforms us and transforms the world.
Another characteristic of Christian prayer is inner truthfulness. What does not sync with our God is an illusory world. People like illusions, pretense, a world “as if.” For decades we have experienced this, behaving “as if.” This does not work in life with God. The prophet Isaiah says: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” That is a catastrophe. If the expression of Christian prayer is to be authentic, it must be true. It is necessary to stand deeply in transparency and rootedness in Christ. Christian prayer is Christocentric. “Just as for his connection with Adam all fell into death, so also for their connection with Christ all will be called to life.” For their connection with Christ, because there is no salvation in anyone else but in Jesus Christ. Even when we praise the Father, we go through Christ. When we come to the Holy Spirit, we are aware that we have it from Christ. The relationship to Christ is the foundation and cornerstone of Christian prayer. One cannot speak of Christian prayer until one has given their life to Jesus Christ. These are merely attempts at Christian prayers, seeking God, efforts to perceive, but they do not constitute Christian prayer. Christian prayer is through Him and with Him and in Him.
Prayer is connected with faith. But this would require another lecture to explain what faith is. These basic concepts are very confusing. When I say that prayer is connected with faith, I mean the decision to live dependent on God. I mean the inner devotion with which we accept our life and the realities of life, the past and the future from God's perspective, and arrange our life accordingly. Every proper prayer grows from faith and leads to faith. The goal of prayer is complete dedication and surrender of a person to God. We can also express this with the words: “Your will be done!” This is the pinnacle of the Lord's prayer, this is the daily bread of Jesus, to which we all strive, even though we understand it so little.
We have talked about the fact that prayer is not primarily a human activity, but a person is not only passive but also active, and thus must respond. Those who hesitate in their response do not deepen the relationship. We cannot expect that God will constantly shower us with something. He waits for our response.
Prayer has different levels. If you wish, we can talk about it. I promised you the first step and I mentioned two steps. We can take ten of them, but sometimes that complicates matters. A person who has not begun to perceive God and who does not pray and starts studying contemplation complicates his life. Because it is like an infant who has switched to smoked food, and it only causes stomach problems. The spiritual life is a gradual growth, and it is peculiar that people who lead educated talks about the inner life often find it sufficient to read a pamphlet for five crowns. It is necessary to grow up. One initial experience is more than reading all the works of the mystics. Because they cannot help us in our spiritual life unless we ourselves begin to do something. I do not want to diminish the importance of spiritual reading, because it is one of the important means of spiritual life.
In conclusion, I would like to share a beautiful quote from Romano Guardini. “A person needs prayer to remain mentally healthy.”
The second part of the transcription of the audio recording of the lecture by P. V. Kodet
for students during the pilgrimage of academic youth in Velehrad.
May 30, 1992
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