Pastor’s Corner: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Dear Apostles,

When I was in seminary, two of my favorite professors each impressed on us students an important analogy about learning and the life of faith: we belong in the midst of a vast conversation that we can never hear totally. We can walk into the room of faith, of Christianity, of theology ("God talk") and thirstily listen and listen and never run out of conversations to overhear, or consider. Of course, many of these conversations emerge, actually, from reading, or listening to sermons, and so on, but the point is - we are not alone, we are each essential players with a unique piece of story and wisdom to offer, set into sprawling networks of other unique stories, experiences, and contributions. 

Which brings me back to Father James Martin, and our ongoing reliance this month on his book Learning to Pray, and the fact that in this book, Father Martin himself quotes many wise teachers - including scientists, Catholic religious sisters, fellow Catholic priests, and Protestant theologians. 

What emerges from all the diversity, and consensus, is another step on the journey of prayer. You'll remember that two weeks ago we talked about reasons we might avoid prayer. Then last week, I mentioned some ways in which we are usually already praying, even if we don't think to call it that. Today we'll look at a framework that helps us engage in prayer, plus a couple of concrete steps to take if we have that yearning to pray more, or accept that God invites us to pray intentionally. 

It can be helpful to think about our relationship with God as we would think about our relationships to human beings that we love and trust. No human being is or can be powerful, gracious, perfect, or expansive like God is, but thinking about how we are in relationship with other people can help us understand some elements of being in relationship with God. Here are this week's top three: time, learning, and honesty. (Next week we will talk about listening, change, and silence.)

First -- when we desire to become close to someone, or maintain closeness to them, it's clear that we need time together. (Sometimes, simply spending a lot of time with someone makes us feel closer to them, even if we didn't intend to become friends in the first place!) So, in order to develop a relationship with God, we spend time with God! We can encounter God in a myriad of ways -- worship services, reading, service, relationships, nature -- but one-on-one time is a core element in this mix. 

What happens when we seek out one-on-one time with God? What does that mean? God rarely speaks to human beings with an audible voice, so how can I know that I'm spending time with God vs. simply ... day-dreaming? Spending time with God is something we learn. It takes time and practice. It starts out with taking intentional time to be quiet, thoughtful, and to turn our inner voice so that it addresses God. But also, to learn about God’s voice, and about prayer, we start to read about prayer in the Bible, read about other Christian's experiences in prayer, we might engage written prayers (our own or others), or simply try to deepen and focus through the avenues by which we are already praying. Examining the life and teachings of Jesus is an essential part of learning about God and learning how to pray, as we see his life and love pointing us to God, and as we see his concern for the poor as a particular avenue for witnessing and knowing God. Just like my professors said, we belong to a vast conversation, with so much to learn — about prayer and so much more.

Finally, as we spend intentional time praying and learning about how to pray, we also commit to honesty. This means that we are welcome not only to offer God gratitude, praise, and the happy things of life, but also that to tell God when we are angry, sad, disappointed, or frightened. God is not small or weak, or easily offended. “God is not quick to anger,” says the Bible; which also tells us that God “does not slumber or sleep.” Come with your honesty as often as you need to. Any difficult emotion or experience is welcome in God's presence -- if you're uncertain about this, take a look at the Psalms, which are full of longing and lament, as well as thanksgiving and confidence. 

At a certain point, talking about prayer gives way to simply trying it out. There's no perfect way to pray. It's like stepping through a portal of faith and seeing what's there when you carve out that time, read that next book, or lift up that really honest complaint or concern. God's there - take the next step of curiosity or trust.

Peace,

Anne