The Prayer That Changes You, Not Just Your Circumstances

God can work only with sinners. He can’t save those who think they have no sin.

Guest post written by Fr Sean Sheehy for Catholic Unscripted

Does God hear your prayer? It depends on your attitude. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, King Claudius is on his knees trying to repent of murdering his brother but doesn’t get any comfort from God. He noted, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to Heaven go” (Act iii, scene 2). Claudius prayed for God’s mercy, but he had no intention of repenting and changing his lifestyle. His words were empty, self-serving, so God didn’t respond, like Jesus who didn’t answer Pilate when he asked Him, “What is truth” (Jn 18:38). Jesus knew that Pilate wasn’t interested in the truth so He wasn’t going to waste His breath answering him. God doesn’t waste His merciful grace on the disingenuous who pray with their lips but their hearts are unchanged (Is 29:13; Mt 15:8).

Two Kinds of Prayers

This the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus told a story about two men praying in the Temple. One offered a long prayer thanking God that he was more faithful than the man sitting in the back of the Temple feeling very unworthy. Jesus noted in the story that the Pharisee prayed “with head unbowed” (Lk 18:11). His prayer reflected self-praise for being such a law-abiding person. The other man, a Publican, prayed with a completely different spirit. He “…kept his distance, not even daring to raise his eyes to Heaven. All he did was beat his breast and say, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner’” (Lk 18:13). Jesus told His listeners that the Publican’s prayer, whom the Pharisee referred to as “a sinner,” made him right with God while the Pharisee’s prayer didn’t. The difference was that one man’s prayer was devoted to telling God that he was such a good person. The other man’s prayer reflected his sense of unworthiness as he begged God’s mercy. The Publican identified himself as a sinner in need of forgiveness while the Pharisee identified himself as a “good person” deserving of God’s praise. The Publican wanted to change his heart and amend his life. He was humble while the Pharisee was prideful believing that he was perfect and had no sin. He was like those Catholics who think they don’t need Confession. God hears the prayer of the sinner asking for the grace of repentance and the gift of forgiveness.

To Whom Does God Listen