Daily Meditation: Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Contrary to the ideas of so many believers, prayer is not a …

07/22/2003

Contrary to the ideas of so many believers, prayer is not a matter of expressing our grievances to God. The Creator has given us all the means necessary, both material and spiritual, to look after our own needs and even those of others, and prayer should simply serve to help us rise in ourselves to discover those means. One might say that God already did His part for us long ago. It is not for Him to give us what we lack, but for us to search for it. What is the point of asking Him for health or the affection of others if we continue to live in a way that makes us ill or disagreeable? And what good is it to pray for peace if, wherever we go, we continue to carry a veritable battlefield within us? Prayer is, undoubtedly, an expression of faith, but faith must be understood as the force that incites human beings to surpass themselves, to transcend themselves. There are two kinds of faith: one is inspired by effort and activity, and the other is inspired by laziness. This faith, which should rather be called naivety, is useless, and even harmful.