AN AUDIENCE WITH GOD

“AN AUDIENCE WITH GOD” is how I would define PRAYER.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Prayer as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God”. It also further describes Christian Prayer as “the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father, who is infinitely good, with the Son, Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts”.

From the definition above, I recall a personal experience of having been given an opportunity to meet the late President Corazon Aquino in a formal audience which was arranged by Mrs. Henrietta T. De Villa, who was then the President of the Council of the Laity of the Philippines. That was way back in 1990 almost twenty years ago, but up to now whenever I recall the event, I could not but relive in my memory how excited I was then, and how I prepared myself physically as well as mentally in order to put my best foot forward in meeting the Highest Official of our country.

With that experience it dawned on me the reality that when I pray I am actually having an AUDIENCE with GOD, the Lord of Lords the Supreme Being in the whole universe. It is GOD with whom I am conversing and so, I must prepare all the more physically and mentally. Since then, I would usually start praying by putting myself “in the presence of God”.

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From that realization, I deduced that the way we see things in life makes a difference in the way we behave. When with the eyes of Faith, we see GOD Himself when we pray, we certainly are excited, filled with awesome wonder at the immense greatness of a Being, who is all knowing, all loving and all powerful whom we call GOD. Focused on God, on the great Mystery of His Presence in us, our prayer becomes God-centered and it makes a big difference in the way one prays. When on the other hand our dialogue with God is focused on one’s self and on what one wants, it is self-centered.

Hence, to be GOD-centered in prayer, I conclude that I should endeavor to treat Prayer as an AUDIENCE with GOD. wherebyI should always try to be still and really put myself in His HOLY PRESENCE, and in the silence of my heart allow Him to speak.

by: Salvador 'Buddy' Cagurangan

January 11, 2010