The Serenity Prayer – (Part 3) About Prayer

Steps to the Spirit

This episode is going to be a little bit of a diversion from our discussion of the actual Serenity Prayer. At the end of the last episode I went off track a bit. I discovered somewhere in this head of mine, that I wanted to talk to you about my thoughts on prayer and how it is when I pray.

When I was receiving my Catholic education there were many prayers. There were prayers in school as well as prayers in church, and prayers at home. I think when I prayed the most, seemed to be right after I went to confession, at least in the beginning. I was naïve than and I confessed every possible infraction of God’s law. Priest gave me many prayers to recite in hope of forgiveness from God. As I got older, I learned to gloss over any of the more serious offenses and was able to save my knees for another day. After I started my addiction, I don’t remember any real prayer involved for many years.

Now, I consider prayer to be a communication with God. In that communication, God talks… and I listen. I no longer have the need to ask for anything from God. The only speaking I do to God these days is to let him know how grateful I am, for many things. However, I think I used those thank-yous as a constant reminder union with God. I know now that God certainly does not need to hear my thanks or gratitude. His love is constant and has no requirements.