Praying with Scripture

Composed by: Sr. Pier Giorgio Frassati

The traditional definition of Prayer is the action, act, or practice of praying. When I was younger, prayer was as simple as that definition. It was a mindless action, act, or practice that had little substance.Prayer for me consisted of an assortment of memorized lines and phrases that all blended together. I can remember countless occasions when a bed time Hail Mary haphazardly intermingled with Bless Us, O Lord for These Thy gifts…. Being scolded by my parents eventually helped me become vigilant of saying the proper prayers, yet merely reciting these “prayers” meant little to me. I used to question the importance of prayer in my life because it always seemed so unproductive. Prayer for me was just another ordinary action, act, or practice.

This was because I never gave any thought to the words that I was saying. Prayer was not important to me. Until I began learning howto authentically pray, I felt that I could not relate to words that I mechanically repeated on a daily basis. I was having trouble making a connection between God and prayer.I was talking at God rather than to Him. Until recently prayer for me has typically been one-sided.
As I grow older, however, I havebecome more open to prayer.I have realized that my immature prayer life was a lack of a deeper sense of faith. My seemingly inactive prayer life only began to grow as I acknowledged that prayer was more than just the cliché of “going through the motions.” Prayer, as I am continuing to discover, is not just about recited words. It is about what those words mean and how they relate to my life.

Prayer takes many forms. The traditional prayers of my youth are only a small piece of the picture. By incorporating different realities of prayer into my spiritual formation, I am able to strengthen the connection with God that I previously struggled to make. Prayer can be a free flowing conversation with God, a faith based discussion among peers, or contemplation of spirituality. It can be expressed though song, art or poetry. It is a process of seeking, listening, discerning, and growing.

For me personally, praying with Scripture has been an excellent tool in exploring prayer. Through scripture I am able to take on a more active role in the process of prayer. It allows me to identify with my faith and listen more deeply to God’s will for my life. Since praying with scripture has been such an essential part in my faith journey I would like to share with you an example of how I pray with Scripture.
One passage of particular importance is the story of Martha and Mary. I feel that as people try to meet the many demands of life—families, friends and society—we can all relate somehow or other to this passage. Consider reading this gospel passage (Luke 10: 38-42) while keeping in mind the following points:

• While you read the passage take note of any images, words, or phrases that may resonate with you.
• Ask yourself if you can relate to any of the people in the passage.
• Take note of any particular themes that stick out in your mind

A reading from the Gospel According to Luke:

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed Him.  She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do all the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10: 38-42)
 
I would now like to give you some examples of how I would answer some of the points I mentioned to keep in mind before the reading of scripture.

One person that I can identify with in this passage is Martha.Martha is“burdened with much serving.” In the reading, Christ points out that she is “anxious and worried about many things.” She is more consumed by attending to her work than spending time with Jesus, the son of God. How many times in my life have I felt burden with class work and extra activities? I often let my busy schedule distract me. Like Martha, I tend to overlook the presence of Christ when He is right in front of me. I make Christ another bullet on my check list to be tended to along with the other “burdens” of my day.
Although I identify with Martha, I desire to be more like her sister Mary. Unlike her sister, Mary recognizes the presence of Christ. She sits with Him and takes part in His company. Martha on the other hand comes to Jesus only to ask something of him. In the passage I just read, Maratha approached Jesus saying “Tell her to help me.” Again we see Martha consumed by her work. She is “anxious and worried about many things,” so she commands the Lord to tell her sister to help her. As my difficultly with prayer suggests,like Martha, I too have approached God many times with a demanding tone to ask for His intercession.

If Martha sat with Jesus as Mary did, she would not have had toask Him to tell her sister to help.She would have been given her answer by merely listening to the word of God. The relief she is looking for is not help from her sister, rather it is found in the presence of Christ. As my struggles with prayer have illustrated, I too have fallen prey to making a two-sided connection with God. I have gone through the motions of speaking to God, telling Him what I need, but He already knows what I need. As He tells Martha, “There is need for only one thing”: To be completely immersed in His love.

The points I have just discussed are examples of how I pray with Scripture. This particular passage may be interpreted in many different ways. It probably speaks to you in a different way than it speaks to me. Words, phrases, and themes that I highlighted are important to me because they resonate with my life. I could identify with Martha, yet you may be able to identify more with Mary. Because we are unique individuals, Christ speaks to us in many different ways. Take some time out of your busy schedules to hear how Christ is speaking to you!