MANILA, Philippines—Prayer has always been something I have tried to do—to learn, to practice, to grow from. It has not been easy. I try and I fail. The past years, especially after my illness over three years ago, I have been blessed with a new appreciation for prayer.

Intercessions

The first thing that comes to mind is intercessory prayer. If there is one instrument that helped me heal and that continues to give me life, it is prayer, most especially the prayers of others.

It is a tremendous grace that I am very thankful for; the grace of the many people who prayed for my recovery and healing. This is the power of intercessory prayer.

This has taught me two important lessons. One, prayers are best offered for others. Two, prayers, I believe, create positive vibrations or channel grace that brings healing to our world.

I heard recently that a scientific experiment disproves this, but I believe this is more than a matter to be settled by reason or intellect alone. If you notice, sacred places have a different feel. When you go to a prayer room or an adoration chapel or a famous shrine like Lourdes where many people pray and pray from their hearts, the atmosphere is different—very serene, very peaceful.

I believe that the very act of praying brings in the good and the positive into our world. This becomes even more positive when we pray for others, because we become less self-centered and more other-centered.

I am very lucky to have been a recipient of this grace—the prayers of others. I am humbled by this and I try to give back by praying for others.

Meditation

The other form of prayer is meditation. I try to do this when I pray the rosary or spend quiet time in prayer. Of course I always struggle with distractions when I try to meditate.

One thought that has helped me is Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s description of prayer or meditation as “wasting time with God.” (Fr. Arrupe is the former head of the Jesuits.)

This is a beautiful description—to ‘waste’ time with God. It reminds us that in prayer we become present to God whose presence is always constant and faithful, and we need not do anything. We acknowledge that God is in-charge and we simply become present to him.

The idea of “wasting” time with Him neutralizes our natural human dynamics to take charge and to do things as best as we can. But in prayer, we become like little children, with childlike trust in God. We simply become present to him who loves us and takes care of us best and always.

The third and the most graced moment of prayer I have learned more deeply in the past three years is the Mass.

It has become the center of my day now. I had always promised to go to Mass often, but it was with my illness that it became more of a devotion rather than a promise fulfilled. It is a prayer of remembering and we call it the memorial of the Lord’s supper.

I love that song they sing for the acclamation: “We remember how you loved us to your death and still we celebrate, for you are with us here and we believe that we will see you when you come in your glory. Lord, we remember, we celebrate, we believe.”

Isn’t that beautiful? We remember the Lord’s love for us and, in remembering, we celebrate our life because he loves us. Each remembering, each Mass is a chance to deepen our faith in this love. We celebrate because we give thanks for his love.

It gives us this tremendous grace to be grateful for life and God’s presence and grace, most especially His love. And somehow we pray and hope that we give back—with as much love as we can possibly give.

The Mass is the best prayer. We remember God’s love, we celebrate it with gratitude, and we believe in it and live it out in our own life.