Video Transcript

Edmund: Hey. Hold on one second. Can I pray for you? Ah, who am I kidding? I don’t even know if you like prayer. Let’s talk about that. 

There’s a lot of things we didn’t like as kids, probably because we were missing something. I didn’t like coffee because I didn’t understand that as an adult, that bitter taste can be good and coffee gives you energy. And related to energy, I didn’t really like naps as a kid because I didn’t realize when you’re an adult, sometimes you get sleepy. Again, you need energy! And I hated keeping things clean and organized as a kid. But then you become an adult and that’s like one of the most annoying things; when your space is disorganized. 

And in my humble experience, prayer has been the same thing. I didn’t understand prayer because I was missing something. See, you might not like prayer because you weren’t taught the thing about prayer that makes everything else work. For me growing up—maybe for you—prayer was a lot like flossing or saving for retirement. It was something I was just told to do. But I wasn’t really motivated to do it; it just wasn’t something that I got. “Say this prayer before you eat.” “Say this prayer before bed.” “Go to Mass.” “Here’s some memorized prayers.”

Prayer isn’t just a superstition or repeating memorized things. Memorized prayers can help, but there’s something else going on here. And memorized prayers, the Mass, praying on your own, praying with other people, takes on new meaning you understand this “thing” that you might be missing. 

The Catechism says in paragraph 2565 “In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit.”

This is arguably one of the most important things about prayer; one of the most life-changing things. It’s that prayer doesn’t just help your relationship with God, prayer IS your relationship with God. When I really understood that and started thinking about how would I have a relationship with another person, prayer really changed for me. 

I remember meeting people who would say things like “What is Jesus saying to you in prayer?” And I thought “What, do you have Jesus in your closet or something?” What do you mean ‘What is He saying to me?’” I wasn’t showing up to prayer actually trying to have a relationship or conversation. I was just showing up to prayer, making the sign of the cross, asking a few things, thinking about my problems, and then I’m out. But what if you just had faith that God was actually listening, He was hearing what you were saying, He understood your heart, your desires, and that He wanted to say something back; He wanted to be there with you? How would that change the way you approach prayer?

So let’s talk about this practically. Let’s talk about how you can actually begin experiencing more of a relationship in prayer. I have a few tips. So let’s think about this: when you have a relationship with someone, are you familiar with them? Do you know their personality? Do you spend time with them regularly? Do you tell them about what’s going on in your life? Do you share what you’re thinking about; what you like, what you want, what you’re struggling with?

And here’s another thing to think about: if I wanted you to get to know my mom, but you couldn’t meet her in person. I might show you things about her. I might show you photos. I might show you a gift she’s bought me. I might show you the running shoes she used to run in every day until they kinda wore out. And for some reason, I started wearing them to go running every day (they didn’t really look like ladies’ running shoes). And I’d want to tell you stories about her. I’d still want you to actually meet her in person, but I would be excited to tell you these things and give you these ways to understand her better. 

In a similar way, the Church has given us ways; gifts that we can use to understand Jesus better. And in a much more profound way because Jesus is actually PRESENT to us as we’re coming to know Him better through these gifts. And these are Scripture, the teachings of the Church, memorized prayers; prayers that are written for us to reflect on the life of Jesus and the mysteries of God. 

So, here are some practical ways that you can begin experiencing this relationship with God in prayer. But the first step is just acknowledging with faith that God wants to have a relationship with you, and asking for that relationship to grow. And this is what I mean when I say “Try these practical tips prayerfully.” What I mean by that is “Try these with actual faith that God DOES want to have a relationship with you.”

So first is to just sit in His presence in silence. You can either do this at home, or you can do this by visiting Jesus in the Eucharist, or if there’s Adoration at a church, or just going to the church and being in front of the tabernacle. But create a space of prayer. 

And that’s my next tip. Create a space of prayer in your house. Create a sacred space that communicates to you “Hey, something different is about to happen here.” 

Next—and this is really powerful— is to actually read the life of Jesus in the Gospels and have a conversation with Jesus about who He is and about your own life. Prayerfully read these stories; pretend you’re actually there and have a conversation with Jesus in those moments. 

Another thing to do that I really love is reflecting on sacred art or images of Jesus and just meditating on those things and thinking about Jesus. 

And finally—and this is probably one of the most powerful—create history with Jesus. You look on social media and sometimes they show you these memories from the past. Like, “Here’s a photo you shared 4 years ago of your salad.” These little moments will happen; something will pop in your head or you’ll feel like Jesus is saying something to you. Or you’ll pray for something, and something the next day will happen and you’ll feel like “Oh man, maybe that was God.” They might seem like little things but write them down. You can keep a journal or notes somewhere on your phone. But write these things down because I promise you, when you look back later, you’ll realize “Man, God really has been developing this relationship with me. And we have this history; we have this life together that we’re building.”

But above all—and I know this is hard to do—sit in silence and ask God to move in your heart or to communicate to you in some way. And yeah, maybe you won’t hear a big, booming voice from the clouds. But you’re at least developing this practice and this faith that this IS a relationship. And spending time giving God an opportunity to speak back is a huge part of changing your experience of prayer. 

This is a living relationship. And while it might be the most life-changing and profound relationships you can have here on Earth, it doesn’t have to be complicated. God is inviting you—right now, after this video—to begin a relationship with Him through prayer.