But it seems to me that it's something much deeper than that. And if we're not careful, we can begin to say words and never bother with the attitude out of which those words should come. Then prayer becomes a kind of an urn. prayer as being some verbal expression or at least some silent verbal expression of request or gratitude or whatever. But it seems to me that it's something much deeper than that. And if we're not careful, we can begin to say words and never bother with the

[01:10]

attitude out of which those words should come. And then prayer becomes a kind of burden, a dull and lifeless thing, a duty. I'm convinced that prayer will necessarily follow wherever there is faith. That prayer is not something that we should work at and tinker with and experiment with beyond a certain point. We should consider more the nature and quality of our faith. That is, if I have the proper attitude toward life, if I have begun to see how good life is, then it is almost necessary, inevitable that I will begin to celebrate that, to announce that, to proclaim it, to sing it, and that is prayer.

[02:18]

And if there is no goodness in life that I can see, it's going to be very difficult for me to pray. So I think the first thing is to look for the goodness, to count the blessings, And one can pray a little, at least, for help in finding the goodness. But ultimately, prayer is a celebration. It's a proclamation, an announcement. And I think that sometimes, when things are not going well, it is important not only to count one's blessings mentally, But even to take a piece of paper and pencil and write them down, this is kind of a last resort. I've recommended this already and I think it's good advice.

[03:22]

Sometimes we get so immersed in the sense of misfortune, bad luck, it becomes almost impossible to see the goodness that is there. I'll close in. And I think it's really worthwhile at times to take a pencil and put down, I can see. I can hear. I can walk. And this is what I mean by that attitude. One begins to take note of all the good things which we take for granted. and begin to praise God for them, to be grateful for them. And then gradually it becomes possible to praise God for things that, well, maybe they're good, those ambiguous things.

[04:27]

And I think real prayer occurs when I look in the desert and thank God for the flowers. knowing that they are there. The Hebrews had a very keen understanding of prayer. And you know, of course, that their normal expression of prayer was the berakot, the blessing, the confession of God. And they had berakots for all kinds of occasions. Not only for the things for which we pray or for which we praise God, but they have blessings for strange things. A blessing to be said upon hearing a wolf howl. That's certainly not good, but maybe it's not that.

[05:31]

It's a blessing. A blessing upon hearing thunder. A blessing upon hearing a child cry, or that. And so, gradually you see, as one begins to bless these things, gradually one becomes aware of things one had not noticed before. I would never hear a child crying except in church for the last 15 years. And then you begin to hear things that were kind of lost in that general noise. Just willingness to blep. Episodes, just as they come to your consciousness. Suddenly begin to sensitize one. to experience in life, experience of goodness and all kinds of things which otherwise might not happen.

[06:32]

And some very strange things can happen when one blasts these ambiguous realities. I recall one time I gave a summer course at Carmel College, this was about 15 years ago at least, I was staying at a little chapel there in one of the dormitories. And there was this little group there, three or four people. And I decided that day to talk on prayer, just the Greek omelette. And I got just about to the point I wanted to make, and a great big howl began to cark outside the window. I mean, it was really loud, but I couldn't be heard And I was just about to say something like, well, pray always, and then go back to the altar. I mean, you can't fight with a dog in a lawn bar, things like that.

[07:35]

And then it suddenly dawned on me, you know what you're doing. You are contradicting everything she's been saying so far. So in a moment of grace, I see this opportunity. So I said, instead of pray always, I said, Blessed even barking dogs. You know, I still don't understand it, but that dog stopped barking at that moment? And it didn't bark much more during that mass? I would like to guarantee that we'll always have that reluctance. But actually, you see what happened was, that by blessing that dog and bringing it into my sermon, It ceased to be a distraction and an annoyance. It became my ally. It became the illustration of my point. Bless barking dog. So much so that I could have said, thank God that dog came along.

[08:38]

Well, you'd be surprised how often this will happen. Something annoying occurs, something that you want to screen out. Bring it in. Bless it. Sit it down. Make it part of whatever you're doing. It just might be the very thing you need most to effect what you are trying to do. So, before one goes to choir, or before one prays privately, it is very important, I think, to learn praying in general. to have a prayerful spirit, to be a prayerful person. That is, to have acquired the habit of blessing things, not cursing them. And blessing things when one is not even thinking of grace, at the most unexpected moment, in the most unreversed way.

[09:45]

Just take a second. Incidentally, most of the really important things don't take much time. We sometimes say, well, I'd like to be very personal with everybody, but that takes too much time. I can only be personal with a certain number of people, that's it. I'm sorry, you're just one over the other. I don't think that's true. It does not take a lot of time to be personal. Have you ever been in a receiving line from a famous person, and they're shaking hands with everybody? And you finally get up there, and he puts his hand out to you and looks the next one. And you're there. What I wait for? Now, if it's a really famous person, he would take your hand, and he would look into your eye for like two seconds. And in those two seconds, you're the only person who works. And you walk away, and you say, it was worthwhile.

[10:47]

It only took two seconds. Now, we have to be present to people. Just for a moment is enough. In a way, that is the best thing then. And what often happens is, we're thinking about the next one, and then when we get to Him, we're thinking about the next one, and so we are continually distracted, and of course then there's no time for anybody. And so, this business of prayer, as I say, long before it becomes formal, has got to be It's part of one's spirit, one's attitude. And I think this is why all the psalms are attributed to David. We know David didn't write them all. It's doubtful that he wrote more than 10% of the psalms. And yet they're all ascribed to him. Why? Because the Bible understood very clearly, whoever wrote the psalms were men like David.

[11:50]

They were David's faithful, respected good things to happen, who saw the positive and optimistic side of life, who allowed faith to triumph over cynicism and despair. And of course, the son of David knew this better than anyone. And his whole life was summed up in the Eucharist. where he says the great Barakah, the great Thanksgiving, Eucharistia is a literal translation of Barakah, thanking his Father for everything. And our conviction is that after we have made all our little Barakahs here and there and everywhere, we bring them together and we stay them together with him, Father. We pray as you. We join together and pray as you.

[12:52]

This joining together is important too. I don't see how it's possible for people to share a vision and yet never pray together. I think common prayer is essential, inevitable, for those who share a vision. This doesn't mean that one has to be together every time there is public prayer. But it does mean, I think, that one has to want to be together. And that will mean that frequently it will happen. After all, there are days when I can hardly pray. That is, when there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate. Then it's good to go and listen to church prayers and celebrate. And it becomes possible to believe again and follow. Now that I hear this, things look pretty good. I would think that if the day should ever come when everybody finds it hard to celebrate, then the superior must call upon the Holy Spirit and take the initiative and celebrate whether he feels like it or not.

[14:07]

I think this is every 100 years or so. No, I think this is really one of God's superiors to celebrate when like nobody else in the country wants to do so. Meantime he just sort of like, you know, joins in. So, where there is this kind of praying, there will be an expression of that discovery of the goodness in the mystery of life, in the mystery which is in creation, in people, in God. And this discovery will grow and develop. And the mood of the prayer will be ideally joyful expectation, joyously expected. Some days it will be a little poignant. Maybe even plaintive, because they're a hard day.

[15:10]

But even then, there will be laughing in the tears. And on good days, joyful expectations. There you are.

[19:41]

It's too bad you didn't miss the conference this afternoon. I know you only came here because you wanted to. Go ahead, say it. Let me explain this. Lord have mercy. Father Owen, you may have some rest. Lord have mercy. That my uncle's faith may be strengthened at this, the time of his death. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy. Father, help us to think and act rightly, so that we will live as you would have us live.

[20:47]

This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. But it's a woman of God, and one million bladders beneath. It was a man with so much might and strength, who stood before me. Rise up, O men of God! This is the hour that we call. Raise this laudable hymn of brotherhood, And let us bless the country of God. Rise up, O men of God! The life and the culture of this world shall be filled with love and praise.

[21:54]

But I can't explain why I really want to know that I'm a familiar familiar familiar.

[22:03]

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