Prayer and Trust

The hallmark of Christian spirituality has always been prayer. A truly prayerful person whose prayer is based on Christian revelation can be said to be a holy person. The Lord prompted St. Faustina to encourage the use of a simple five-word prayer because it summarizes the whole of Christian spirituality: “Jesus, I trust in you!”

The prayer life of a truly holy person will embrace every form of prayer--adoration, praise, thanksgiving, petition, intercession, contrition, and so on. Yet each of those forms of prayer touches upon a creature-Creator relationship that implies a corresponding form of trust in that Creator. Thus, adoration implies a trust in the simple fact of one’s continued dependence on God as creator and sustainer of one’s very existence. Thanksgiving implies a trust in the goodness of the providence of a God who has already gifted us by providing for our needs, and our worthy desires. Petition implies a trust by way of a faith-expectancy (not always as strong as it should be) that our prayers will be granted; it encompasses at least some degree of trust that the “Ask and you shall receive” promise was not an empty one. Contrition implies a trust in God’s mercy; otherwise, it would be an empty and meaningless form of remorse.

Each time you offer a prayer, even a brief outburst of praise, try to be aware of the trust element that undergirds the prayer itself and gives it meaning. Also be aware that the depth of the trust that is present in that prayer is a measure of the depth of the prayer itself.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.