Prayer

There are as many ways of praying as there are people, and finding our prayer style as a bridge to God is a gift. Some like to walk on the seashore, or a rugged mountain and taste the beauty of creation while reciting a psalm as background music to help articulate wonder at the greatness and mystery of the universe. Many are put off by prayer in the false belief that they must wear their Sunday best before God. We come to God as we are, warts and all, in the same way that we go to a doctor for healing remedies. It’s not a case of cleaning the house before the cleaners come. It’s a friendship where airs and graces are off limits because we might be able to fool ourselves, but we can’t fool God. It’s helpful to remember that God loves us not for our good deeds, but for who we are, a member of God’s family, even if we’re not conscious of that reality.

Excerpted from Reimagining Religion: A Jesuit Vision by Jim Maher SJ (p.45)