Immediate Action through Prayer
Jake Eudene
Background
Prayer is a common practice in several religions and can be defined as “any communication we make to the Divine power[1].” Prayer can take place privately or in houses of worship. Regardless of where the prayer takes place, it is meant to be a direct link between the person praying and their god.
Turning Point
Although it is difficult to date a practice such as prayer, it is important to understand prayer as a significant event in history. The idea of prayer as a means to ask “proper gifts or graces of God[2]” is an important point in history because it is when people begin to ask God for graces that they stop looking to each other and start their dependence on God. It is “by prayer we acknowledge God’s power and goodness, our own neediness and dependence.” With the advent of prayer, it is meant to “[presuppose] faith in God and hope in His goodness[3].”
Effect
The practice of prayer has had lasting physical and psychological effects on people. The concept of prayer warranted places of worship to be built. These places of worship have been scattered across the world and are often, visually, part of everyday life. The Islamic mosque[4] can be seen all around the world and is a symbol of the Islamic faith. Likewise, the Jewish temple and the Christian church are symbolic houses of worship.
Prayer also resulted in a closer connection to the gods to be established. “Prayer, like faith, is a mighty power, because it unites man with God[5].” In the Christian religion, prayer is “an act of the virtue of religion implying the deepest reverence for God and habituating us to look to Him for everything, not merely because the thing asked be good in itself, or advantageous to us, but chiefly because we wish it as a gift of God, and not otherwise, no matter how good or desirable it may seem to us[6].”
[1] Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 101.
[2] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
[3] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
[4] Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa. “Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith.” William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2011: 87-89.
[5] Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 101.
[6] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
Bibliography
Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 99-103.
John Wynne. "Prayer." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. Robert Appleton Company. New York. 1911.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm>.
Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa. “Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith.” William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2011: 87-89.
Jake Eudene
Background
Prayer is a common practice in several religions and can be defined as “any communication we make to the Divine power[1].” Prayer can take place privately or in houses of worship. Regardless of where the prayer takes place, it is meant to be a direct link between the person praying and their god.
Turning Point
Although it is difficult to date a practice such as prayer, it is important to understand prayer as a significant event in history. The idea of prayer as a means to ask “proper gifts or graces of God[2]” is an important point in history because it is when people begin to ask God for graces that they stop looking to each other and start their dependence on God. It is “by prayer we acknowledge God’s power and goodness, our own neediness and dependence.” With the advent of prayer, it is meant to “[presuppose] faith in God and hope in His goodness[3].”
Effect
The practice of prayer has had lasting physical and psychological effects on people. The concept of prayer warranted places of worship to be built. These places of worship have been scattered across the world and are often, visually, part of everyday life. The Islamic mosque[4] can be seen all around the world and is a symbol of the Islamic faith. Likewise, the Jewish temple and the Christian church are symbolic houses of worship.
Prayer also resulted in a closer connection to the gods to be established. “Prayer, like faith, is a mighty power, because it unites man with God[5].” In the Christian religion, prayer is “an act of the virtue of religion implying the deepest reverence for God and habituating us to look to Him for everything, not merely because the thing asked be good in itself, or advantageous to us, but chiefly because we wish it as a gift of God, and not otherwise, no matter how good or desirable it may seem to us[6].”
[1] Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 101.
[2] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
[3] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
[4] Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa. “Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith.” William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2011: 87-89.
[5] Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 101.
[6] John Wynne. “Prayer.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1911.
Bibliography
Benjamin Rush. “The Road to Fulfillment.” Harper & Brothers. 1942: 99-103.
John Wynne. "Prayer." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. Robert Appleton Company. New York. 1911.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm>.
Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa. “Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith.” William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2011: 87-89.