A common objection you hear regarding Catholic prayer of the Holy Rosary, the Our Father and other prayers is that these prayers are "vain repetitions"(KJV).
"Why don't Catholics pray off the top of their head?" one might ask.
"Do they even have a relationship with Jesus?"
"They seem...so...religious..." [insert face full of fear]
Dear Mr. Bible-Out-of-Context Man:
I want to cover your concerns in a few numbered items so none of us get lost.
1. What do you pray when you eat? Do you use the same prayer? Hmmm...you mean you don't make it up every time?
Day 1: "Dear God, thank you for this food, Amen."
Day 2: "Dear God, I know you are getting bored with "thank you" so like, yeah this is great. Amen"
Day 3: "I'm really, really thankful for this food, God." [I didn't say Amen to show how spontaneous my relationship with You is]
2. Have you ever read the Psalms? Yes? No?
Example 1: "Blessed be the Lord" -Psalms 28:6
Example 2: "Blessed be the Lord" -Psalms 31:21
Example 3: "Blessed be the Lord" -Psalms 41:13
Example 4: "Blessed be the Lord" -Psalms 68:19
This kind of repetition reminds me of the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, a beautiful prayer I prayed before I came into the Church.
3. Have you ever read the Scripture passage you are quoting?
"In praying, do not babble (NASV version of "vain repetitions") like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words." Matt 6:7
Here's the really interesting thing. If Catholics tend to only use a few words when they pray because they say the same thing, and a non-Catholic asserts that he or she is more religious because they use more of their own words than a Catholic when praying, they in fact prove--by that argument--just the opposite according to the passage (Matt 6:7) that is used to confront the Catholic.
It is precisely because a Catholic uses so few words, that she proves herself not to be pagan.
Well, why do you say the prayer over and over again? Isn't that vain?
A. It could be...depends on the person's heart (Isaiah 20:13). I tell my wife I love her over and over again, but it doesn't follow...
B. Jesus said, "Ask, Seek, and Knock". The Greek verb tense implies that we should "keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking." This imagery is very close to what Moses tells the people when he says "be still" and see the salvation of the Lord (Ex 14:13). The Hebrew word implies not an end of action, but rather a continuation of one's persistence in the present.
Thus, Catholic prayer is grounded in both the simplicity of the Gospel and the humility of the one praying who like a child asks, knocks, and seeks--standing still in the presence of God.
"Let us pray to the Lord."
And we humbly ask.
"Lord, hear our prayer."
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| Do you think that when Jesus was a child He was God? If you do, then this picture shouldn't offend you. |
