By Most Rev. Dr. Yvon Ambroise, Bishop of Tuticorin –
There is an opinion widespread among several categories of people: Priest, Religious, Laity, young, middle aged and old persons that prayer is actively talking, requesting and pleading with and dialoguing with God. These are surely certain aspects of prayer. There is a deeper dimension to it, namely prayer is the art of listening to God. Listening is the very core of all types of prayers. It is an important and central aspect of prayer to understand and practice in our life its in-depth character and experience. Let me explain it as far as I am able to do it.
Biblical Examples of this fundamental aspect of prayer as listening :
Samuel, the Prophet Let us take the example of the small boy Samuel who was the child of Elkana and Anna who had him as a gift of God as an answer to her ardent prayer with full faith and hope in God. So she offered him back to God after having weaned him, as if giving back a loan to God (1 Sam 1:15,20,26;2:11).
Samuel was ministering at a very young age in the temple. He was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was kept (1 Sam 3:3). At that time the Lord called Samuel to talk to him… Let me quote “Then the Lord called Samuel and he said ‘Here I am’ and ran to Eli and said ‘Here I am, for you called me’. But he said, I did not call, lie down again? So he went and lay down. And the Lord called again ‘Samuel’ and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me’. But he said ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he rose and went to Eli and said ‘Here I am for you called me’; then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel go lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘speak Lord, for your servant hears’” (I Sam 3:3-9).
Samuel did so and the Lord spoke to him and he listened to the Lord who gave Samuel this particular message that if he would listen to the Lord he would be the prophet of God. A prophet in Old Testament was a person with an open heart as well as his ears, well tuned to hear the voice of God and his duty was to proclaim the Word of God to whomsoever it had to be addressed.
In this experience of Samuel as a very young boy, growing in the temple, it was noted that at that time since he did not yet know the Lord (1 Sam 2:7).
In Hebrew when the word “Yada” is used to designate knowing it has a comprehensive meaning of a deep intimate experience of the person and the knowledge arising thereof, including if needed, a true sexual relation e.g with one’s marriage partner. In Genesis 4:1 we read “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain”. Hence knowing the Lord means having a deep interior experience of God. Hence a prophet says “Thus says the Lord” and would speak in the name of the Lord. This expression “Since he did not yet know the Lord (1 Sam 2:7)” must be understood in its deep sense of the Hebrew word “Yada”, namely an intimate knowledge of God speaking as person to another person.
Martha and Mary (LK 10:38-42) Martha welcomed Jesus for a dinner. In the house of Martha her sister Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said ‘Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me’. But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious about and troubled about many things but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her’”.
Jesus openly endorses to Martha that he had not come just to have a good dinner but make it an occasion for them to listen to the good news of God from him. Listening to God has a value much more than just praying in words to God.
To be continued tomorrow…
This article is used with permission from CBCI