“Some think that prayer is an escape from the real world. To these, I say that there are prisons from which it is good to escape. Lots of people banally exist imprisoned in what we call ‘the real world.’ Locked up in the fantasy land of adults and the culturally and politically powerful, they are not free to live life to the full.
“All the same, I cannot agree that prayer is an escape from reality. It is rather the opposite. Those who do not pray are sometimes trying to escape basic truths about our existence – after all, life is short and eternity long, the way to salvation is as narrow as the path to perdition is wide, and divine justice will hold us accountable if we will not hold ourselves responsible before divine mercy. Prayer is about facing this reality, this truth about our lives and about the world.”
In a recent commentary, Dr. Anthony Lilles (assistant professor of theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver, CO) reflected on the relationship of prayer and the “real world.”
To access the complete post by Dr. Lilles, please visit:
Beginning to Pray: Is Prayer an Escape from the Real World? (17 OCT 12)
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