DO YOU FIND PRAYER DIFFICULT?

DO YOU FIND PRAYER DIFFICULT?
September 2022
By Al Mansfield


​Have you ever had a difficult time praying? Maybe I'm the only one...but I really don't think so! The fact is, anyone who is committed to spending time in prayer on a daily basis has experienced some difficulty in consistently praying well. Even some great saints have confessed that prayer didn't always come easily.

​Volumes have been written on the topic of prayer by those much wiser and holier than I am. Here I simply want to bring my few loaves and fishes to the table. What I have found somewhat helpful has been to focus on what has traditionally been called the four "ends" of prayer - really, four aspects or categories of prayer: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Petition). In grammar school we were taught the acronym ACTS as a mnemonic device to help us remember them. I think that keeping them in mind has helped me over the years make sure my prayer is properly "balanced" and, I hope, not overly self-centered. Let's explore the four areas more closely:

​Adoration - This is called the highest form of prayer because it is pure and selfless, focused entirely on God himself. Adoration, first and foremost, is recognizing who God is and who we are. "He made us and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3). Adoration can be quiet and contemplative or vocal and expressive, including songs of exuberant praise and worship - so long as they are truly focused on God himself.

​Contrition - One fact that defines all humans (except the Blessed Virgin Mary) is that we are all sinners (cf. Rom. 3:23). The prayer of a sincerely repentant person is always received (cf. Luke 18:9-14). The Psalmist tells us, "A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Let us never be so foolish as to neglect to admit that we are all sinners in need of God's mercy and forgiveness.

​Thanksgiving - I hope that I have always been thankful to God, but as I have grown older, I find that I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings I have received in my life - not that I have deserved any of them! I find myself echoing the psalm verse: "What shall I render to God for all his benefits to me?" (Psalm 116:12). The Preface of the Mass says that we should give thanks "always and everywhere" - that pretty much covers it! Our prayer should be one big Deo Gratias - thanks be to God for life, salvation, the Holy Spirit, family and loved ones, care and provision, and on and on! I once had a priest tell me not to close my eyes at night until I had thanked God for three favors or things that went well for me that day; and then to thank God for three problems, obstacles, things that did not go well for me...because of Romans 8:28, "God makes all things work together unto good for those who love him..." Great advice that I have tried to implement and I now pass on to you.

​Petition - If we pray at all, we are doubtless no strangers to prayers of petition. The Lord himself encourages us to ask for what we truly need. The Our Father is the perfect prayer and perfect model for our prayer. The first three petitions focus on God himself - his name, his kingdom, his will. Only after that, do we give attention to our needs - our daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation and evil. Jesus told us, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). A very powerful prayer of petition is this one: "O God, come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to help me" (Psalm 40:13; 70:1).

​So, does it help to be aware of the four aspects of prayer? I think it has helped me and I hope you find it helpful as well. The four aspects mentioned above are important not only to our prayer, but to our relationship with the Lord...which is what prayer really is - relating to and communicating with the Lord. Prayer is the communication that expresses our relationship with God.

​A short prayer, which attempts to cover most aspects I have described, is this one: Lord Jesus Christ: I adore you, I love you, I thank you and I trust you; have mercy on me, a sinner.