By: Alex J Nagem © June 7, 2025

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 (NRSVCE)

What is prayer? This may seem like an easy question to answer. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines prayer as: (a) an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought. (b) An earnest request or wish. That seems generic to me. There is not sufficient information to define prayer for me.  

Let’s look at a definition of prayer for a child. You may explain prayer as simply talking to God. Just like when you want to become friends with someone, you talk to them. It may feel awkward at first, trying to find something in common to talk about. But the more you talk and listen to each other, the easier the conversations become. If you don’t ever talk to someone, you will never know them, and they won’t know you. The more you speak to that friend, the more you understand them, and the closer you become. This idea assumes the child already knows who God is and is learning how to pray by watching their parents or teacher.

God already knows us completely. He knows our thoughts, what is in our hearts, and what we need. Prayer helps us to know Him, what He wants for us, what He hopes for us, and all the good things He wants to give us. The more we talk to God and listen for His voice, the more we understand His love, and the closer we become to Him.

The way we pray reveals what we believe about God. And what we believe about God determines how we pray.

If we see God as distant, our prayer becomes hesitant, more formal than heartfelt. But when we know Him as our Father, our words change. Prayer becomes less about saying the right things and more like a child returning home, sometimes speaking, sometimes simply resting in His presence without words at all.

When we believe that God is near, we begin to find Him not only in the church, but also in silence, in suffering, in joy, and the face of our neighbor. His nearness transforms how we pray and how we live.

The sacraments, as with prayer, are not empty rituals. They are living encounters with the God we know. In Baptism, we do not just get wet; we are washed in the Spirit and made new. In the Eucharist, we don’t merely receive bread and wine; we are united with the crucified and risen Christ who gives Himself entirely to us. In Confession, we do not meet judgment alone, we encounter the mercy of the Father who runs to meet us.

All this depends on one question: Who is God to you?

Is God far away, or is He present and close? Is God only just, or also rich in mercy? Is He a distant Creator, or a loving Father?

The sacraments themselves don’t change, but we do, when our hearts awaken when we see the One who is truly behind them. They are not mere rituals. They are encounters with the living God, a God who longs to draw us into His divine life, to share His love, and to make us truly His.

So today, ask yourself—not just, “Did I pray?” or “Did I go to Mass?”
Ask instead: “Who did I meet?”

Prayer:

Lord, help me to know You as You truly are, not as I imagine You to be, but as You have revealed Yourself in Jesus. May my prayer rise from truth, not fear. May I receive the sacraments with eyes of faith and a heart of gratitude, knowing that in each one, it is You who comes to meet me. Amen.

Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit

Alex J. Nagem