In the newly released movie For Greater Glory that deals with the Cristeros War that was waged in Mexico from 1926 until 1929, a boy of about twelve is taken to the local priest by his godfather because the boy has thrown fruit at the elderly priest to taunt him. The boy’s godfather tells the priest that he has delivered the boy to him for punishment because “prayer is a penance”.
As an evangelical Christian, I was very surprised to hear prayer used in this context, so I googled “penance” to make certain that I understood the definition as it relates to Catholicism. Penance, as it is used in Catholicism, I discovered, is punishment for sin; self-abasement; mortification to show sorrow for sin or a wrongdoing.
As I continued to ponder the theatrical exchange between the godfather and the priest, I could not help but wonder whether the reason why so many people resist prayer is because they consider time spent in prayer a form of punishment—a humiliating action meant to rehabilitate a woeful sinner. Thus, I have posed the question: Is prayer a privilege or a penance?
Certainly, an important component of prayer is confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness, but that is only a small part of a believer’s prayer life. I believe that prayer is the greatest privilege that we exercise as Christians. When Jesus declared us to be his “friends”, (John 15:14) He brought us into a new relationship with God that had not previously existed. It was a gift, and part of that gift was the privilege of being able to come to Him anywhere, at any time, under any circumstances. We can, and should, come to Him to ask forgiveness, but we also come to him in thankfulness for His blessings in our lives. We come to Him to praise Him, to honor Him and to worship Him. We come to him in our deepest sorrow to find comfort, and we come to Him in our times of greatest joy to share with Him the contents of our hearts overflowing with happiness.
It has been said that prayer is the “most powerful force on earth”, and I agree with that statement wholeheartedly. Prayers have stopped armies, parted seas, healed the sick, and brought sinners to repentance—many people have turned to Christ as the result of the faithful prayers of another person on their behalf. We can never overstate the power of prayer.
For me, personally, however, one of the most satisfying aspects of prayer is the intimacy it allows us to enter into with Jesus Christ. To awaken for a few fleeting moments in the middle of the night to whisper, “I love you, Jesus” before drifting back into sleep is a privilege. To talk to Him while driving my car, or cleaning the house, or preparing a meal is a privilege. To know that He is always as close as the prayer in my heart, is a privilege.
I believe that prayer is both a penance and a privilege, but even the ability to come before the God of the universe to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness is a privilege.
Joyce Swann is a nationally-known author and speaker. Her own story of teaching her ten children from the first grade through master’s degrees before their seventeenth birthdays is retold in her book, Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother. Her newest novel, The Warrior, is available on Kindle and in paperback.
For more information, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net/ or like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/frontier2000mediagroup
Joyce Swann is a nationally-known author and speaker. Her own story of teaching her ten children from the first grade through master’s degrees before their seventeenth birthdays is retold in her book, Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother. Her newest novel, The Warrior, is available on Kindle and in paperback.
For more information, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net/ or like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/frontier2000mediagroup
No comments:
Post a Comment