Thoughts and Prayers and Tragedy

With the recent horrific shootings at Annunciation Parish in Minneapolis, the shooting of Charlie Kirk, and many more; the topic of prayer has once again stirred debate. From the beginning of the Church, the Christian reaction to violent tragedies has been prayer. For most politicians and secular leaders, the reaction has been framed as “thoughts and prayers.” It is certainly an appropriate reaction for Christians to immediately state that they will pray for victims of such tragedies and their families. It is also quite reasonable to pray for an end to such violence. More recently, many secular leaders and the media have dropped any reference to prayers and simply say the victims are in their “thoughts.” A strange adaption is sometimes stated as “I am sending the victims my thoughts.” This could simply be an inartful or clumsy way of showing compassion or perhaps an attempt at mental telepathy is intended. Now a new trend has emerged with media pundits and politicians actually pushing back and mocking the idea of prayer in reaction to violent tragedies. In the wake of the Minnesota Catholic School attack, the Mayor of Minneapolis said, “don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers.” MSNBC host and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki went further on the social media platform X, stating, "Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers."

The intent behind this attack on prayer seems to be that prayer alone does not make us safer. This implies that taking concrete actions such has passing stricter gun control laws and improving mental health support are efforts that can make us safer. There are two problems with this line of thinking.

First, like many aspects of the Christian life; this doesn’t have to be an “either or” scenario, but rather a “both and” response. We likely ought to be praying and taking concrete action, such as talking to our kids about violence and safety, advocating for responsible gun laws, better mental health treatment, and more responsible parents. In this divisive political climate, how else will smart and effective laws be passed, but with prayer.

Second, the argument fundamentally misunderstands Christian prayer. The USCCB says “Prayer is our response to God who is already speaking or, better yet, revealing Himself to us.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2565 states, “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.” It goes on to say that this means being “in the presence” of God. Therefore, prayer is not simply asking for something from God. It can be that, but it is so much more. If we are in relationship with God and in His presence; we are accompanied by God. We can be simultaneously, comforted, encouraged, and guided all at the same time and while asking God to comfort someone else. In prayer, we experience this relationship with God by sharing our true despair or anger, seeking comfort, begging for help, seeking change, and many more ways.

There are many types of prayer as we see in the Psalms. Often the psalmist is simply lamenting their sorrow or misfortune. Doing so in God’s presence brings comfort. This is why the Psalms can be the perfect prayer when we experience desolation. Since prayer is relationship, it deeply rich and complex. Even the simplest of prayers like, “Jesus, have mercy on me,” can bring a variety of outcomes. God may change the situation for us, or he might change us for the situation. And that could be simply giving us the strength to endure.

 Beyond praying for the victims, we often rightly pray for consolation. We might pray for an end to violence or the safety of our children and their school. We might pray for those contemplating violence, that God will change their hearts. We might pray for better mental health treatment for those at risk of violence. We might pray for stricter gun laws and more responsible parents. Prayer can help us discern what concrete actions we should pursue. If God is our strength and our refuge, of course our first reaction to tragedy is rightly to throw ourselves into that relationship. This is where secular critics get it wrong. Prayer is not a superficial, meaningless, or superstitious response with no tangible outcome, but rather a way of life. A Christian cannot make any meaningful or effective response to tragedy without prayer. Any attempt to do so deprives us of our most powerful source of understanding, discernment, and motivation. In the Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquina wrote, “our motive in praying is, not that we may change the Divine disposition, but that, by our prayers, we may obtain what God has appointed.”

A charitable reading of the critics of prayer is that they are not against prayer, but rather they are using hyperbole to demand concrete action. However, a Christian cannot divorce action from prayer. The motives and methods of violence are complex and diverse. Neither legislation, more civil discourse, nor school safety alone or together will prevent future violence. There is evil in the world and there always will be. When love retreats, evil can fill the void. Most of the recent violent actors in our society do not come from a completely neglected and abandoned background. How many missed opportunities for love created space in a person for evil to lead to violence. From broken families to inattentive parents and friends allowing someone to sink into to the dark abyss of online hate fed by perceived hate; love was absent. St. Thomas Aquinas elaborates in the Summa that, “the cause of prayer is the desire of charity, from which prayer ought to arise: and this desire ought to be in us continually.” If we are continually praying or willing the good of family and friends in true charity, we are more likely to influence those who might be tempted to consider violence. St. Paul instructs to “pray without ceasing” in First Thessalonians. St. Thomas Aquinas summarizes St. Augustine by writing that "Faith, hope and charity are by themselves a prayer of continual longing." 

I do not think any of these public figures speaking out have malicious intent. Some simply do not understand Christian prayer. We should pray for them and lead by example. Others who speak encouragingly of prayer might do well to actually say a prayer in front of the cameras rather than just talk about it. Given the times we live in, I suspect we all need a reminder to pray continually and in charity. The next time someone says, you are in their thoughts and or prayers, think of this line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”