大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good morning.

The parish priest was visiting my parents when I was home from University.

I was passing through the kitchen when he made a remark about something, and I picked it up 鈥� giving a slightly alternative view. He responded pleasantly and it led to a short, interesting conversation.

I thought nothing more about it until he had gone, and my mother re-found me and tore strips off me 鈥� how dare you argue with the Parish Priest?? I didn鈥檛 know I had been arguing with the parish priest!

But it made me think about how we can be over-polite regarding religious things. And in particular, we can carry that same over-politeness into our prayer 鈥� we park God in the front-parlour, ply him with tea & cake and say nothing that might raise an eyebrow.

The best film portrayal of prayer comes from the musical 鈥楩iddler on the Roof鈥�. Tevye, a Jewish Russian peasant, peppers his day with conversational remarks to heaven. In one scene, the horse has gone lame and Tevye reflects on his life and prays to God: 鈥淚t鈥檚 enough you pick on me 鈥� bless me with five daughters, a life of poverty鈥� that is all right. But what have you got against my horse??鈥�

Such prayers 鈥� called 鈥榓rrow prayers鈥� by St Augustine鈥� shot by an archer into the clear blue sky 鈥� are foundational to any living spirituality. Liturgy and formal worship are good and important, but the tap-root of Christian prayer should be honest and very personal. In the words of St Teresa of Avila: "Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God."

Lord, in the challenges of this coming day, help me to speak freely with you as I would speak heart-to-heart with a friend.

Amen.

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