I wrote this before the horrid news from Orlando. Mass shooting, chaos, emergency responders, blood donors, prayer vigils. Love is Love, I say, but sometimes it is hard to hold on to that.
For the following, I offer credit to Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki, In God’s Presence: Theological Reflections on Prayer (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 1996)
What is the purpose of prayer?
How could God pay attention to such insignificant creatures?
Are we just talking to ourselves, our inner wise spirit?
How do we know prayer is communication with God?
How do we know that it’s God?
Questions take us deeper into faith
. . . away from belief in our beliefs
. . . to believe in a God who is more than our beliefs can say.
It is possible for a good prayer not to address anyone by name. After yoga classes with Jogi Bhagat, he closes with prayers and we repeat each line after him.
May all be happy.
May all be healthy.
May there be no distress on earth.
May there be peace everywhere.
May all our actions lead us to make this happen.
May it be so.