July 18, 2004: Prayer: Our Language of Faith

"Prayer: Our Language of Faith"


The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 18, 2004


When I was a child, my grandparents used to take overseas trips almost every year. I always enjoyed going along to see them off at the International Departures terminal at Kennedy Airport… or to one of the ship piers on the Hudson River. And it was even more exciting when they got back home, filled with wonderful stories and adventures… and, of course, some terrific souvenirs!

I remember one time, my grandparents told me that they found themselves someplace off the beaten path in Greece. They didn’t speak a word of Greek, and the local people didn’t speak a word of English. My grandfather didn’t have any local money, which he discovered in a little café or taverna where they stopped for coffee. They tried to explain that they would go to the hotel to change some money and come right back—while the proprietor eyed them very suspiciously, thinking they were trying to beat the check. As you can imagine, it was a comedy of errors with everyone gesturing and flapping around trying to make themselves understood—without much luck.

Yes, communicating is a real problem if you don’t speak the same language!

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but it’s exactly the same when it comes to communicating with God. We need a common language—a language of faith, you might say. Oh, God can understand us all right, but the problem comes when we try to figure out what he’s saying to us. It would be as though he were jabbering away in Greek; we would completely miss his meaning.

And as families, we also need this common language to share and transmit our life of faith to one another, and most especially to our children.

To a large extent, prayer is our language of faith. By using it, we discover a rather natural means to converse with God and one another. We find in this special language an amazing way to praise God, to thank him, to ask for forgiveness, to intercede for others, and to ask for our own needs.

If you took high school French or Spanish or German many, many years ago, I don’t have to tell you what happens to your language skills if you don’t keep using them! It’s the same with prayer. If you want to live a life in Christ, then prayer is indispensable.

We all know that, right? But for many of us, our prayer life is embarrassingly deficient—mainly because it’s hard to find the time or method that suits us best. Our lives may resemble Martha’s in the Gospel today: running around, working, taking care of everybody… So how do we manage just to find time to sit at the Lord’s feet like Mary did?

Let me make a few simple suggestions.

A good time for family prayer is at dinnertime. I hope your family manages to take an evening meal together at least some of the time! You can start off with a prayer, and then take a few minutes when you begin to eat to intercede for people you know who are sick or suffering… to thank God for some special blessings that you’ve received… or to talk about some way you saw God at work during your day. Some evenings, your short prayer time may lead to conversation and discussion that could carry you through your whole meal!

Another good time for prayer is before bed. You can gather together all the children and pray as a group—maybe even pray a decade of the Rosary together—or pray with them one by one as they head off to bed. It’s a beautiful way to put the day and God’s love into perspective.

Once you’ve found a good time to pray, the next question is how you should pray. There are many choices. You can pray spontaneously, just making up the words and speaking to God from your heart… or you can use the Bible, or memorized or printed prayers, or some combination. For children, it’s important that they understand what’s going on. What works for children of one age might not work for kids of another age, so stay flexible. Sometimes, a song or hymn is a good way to slide into prayer. Be creative.

What about kids who can’t or won’t get into it? Don’t force them. It’s a positive first step that they’re merely present while prayer is going on—and the prayer may affect them more than you think!

Now, what if you’re one of those super-busy families where you’re constantly on the go: after-school activities, sports practices and games, music lessons, and all the rest? Don’t get discouraged or give up. You can still find times to pray as a family.

Pray in the car on a trip or while running errands or heading to an event. In fact, that gives you a great focus. Pray with a child when he’s sick or struggling. Go to Mass together one weekday if you can.

You see, by praying with your children, reading the Bible to them, and introducing them to the Sacraments and the Church, you fully become parents. Not only have you given your children physical life, but you’re transmitting spiritual life to them, as well!

Summertime offers you a unique opportunity to start to cultivate the habit and discipline of prayer in your family life—so when school rolls around, it will be easy to stick with the practices you’ve started.

As Jesus tells us today, this kind of dedication to prayer is “the better part”—definitely a special grace and blessing. May the Lord inspire you to find this joyful blessing in your own life. Amen!


Today’s Readings:
Genesis 18, 1–10
Psalm 15
Colossians 1, 24–28
Luke 10, 38–42