Lifetime of Prayer

October 18, 2015

Lifetime of Prayer

                  Prayer is an imperative part of religions.  And although one may practice it from the time they are born until the end of their life it can be a daunting task.  The author of Phenomenology of Prayer writes, “We learn how prayer is the task of a lifetime, so that even those who have been praying all their lives may not have gotten much farther than kindergarten” (Page 19).  The author makes this point because as it is very important to the religion it can often be a very disconnected ritual.  How does one pray the “right” way?  How should one pray?  What should one ask for?  Should one not ask for too much?  These sorts of question can cause one to wonder about the legitimacy of the ritual and the way that they perform it.  The task also requires the act of detachment from one’s self, from the outside world, and also the process of emptying the mind.  All three of these aspects combined can often be a difficult task in itself and then to reach out to the divine spirit during this can make one overwhelmed and the task of prayer impossible.  Prayer is not something that one is simply born with the ability to do, but through the use of practice and knowledge of how the individual wants to pray the individual can create a beneficial ritual to themselves.