National Day of Prayer: Not Sufficient
“No basta rezar. Hacen falta muchas cosas para consegir la paz. ” (It is not sufficient to pray. There are many things needed to attain peace). These are words often sung in Catholic churches, both in Southern California and in Central and Latin America. What a radical thing to sing in a church service! This is also the mentality found here at the United Nation’s Commission on Sustainable Development 17, where I am reporting from. In addition to the many nations working here, there are also numerous Catholic religious organizations. Many have ties to poor communities in developing countries and around the world. I am a guest of one of these organizations, Franciscans International. FI, along with other NGOs, has been working to assure that the poor have a voice in the international policymaking process. In addition to their participation at this commission, FI for many years has worked at the Human Rights Council, assuring that the dignity of the most vulnerable, especially women and children, be recognized. The hours here at the CSD-17 are long and fast-paced. Information meetings, negotiations, strategizing, formulating guiding negotiating principles, listening sessions, and drinking coffee occupy many of these hours. In my short time here, I have been primarily working with the Fresh Water Caucus group, which consists of representatives from two African nations, stakeholders and other NGOs, many of them religious, in formulating guiding principles on water management policies that can be incorporated into the major themes of CSD-17 (agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification). In the midst of so much activity, when do these religious individuals have a chance to pray?
The answer is very simple: their actions on behalf of the poor ARE a form of prayer. Often, people believe that we pray to somehow change God’s mind—that somehow, our words will convince God to do something that maybe He has never thought about. This perspective sees prayer as a mere negotiating process. However, such a view does not fully capture the richness of the activity.
We often forget that God does not need prayers, but rather prayer is an invitation for us to be transformed, changed and moved. Prayer is a process by which we consciously empty ourselves for the sake of another. Prayer is us opening ourselves to God as he is in ourselves, in others and in creation—not because God needs it, but because we need it. The beauty of the process is that in the emptying, we place ourselves in a position to encounter and discover. In a place where we can become more than what we presently are. To pause and remember that none of us is the center of the universe. We often need to recall that becoming fully human can only arise when we recognize our weakness and limitations, and humbly open ourselves to an encounter with another.
Prayer is a challenge to our arrogance and self-glorification. It is often these that lead us to believe that only we are important, and which in turn leads to self-centered justifications for exploiting others and our world. Prayer gives us the opportunity to acknowledge in both our thoughts and actions, that we cannot reduce life, others, or creation to mere physical objects—to things that are means for our personal and communal ends—nor can we manipulate the Ultimate to our will and pleasure. Genuine prayer is an action that helps us move beyond ourselves and toward a greater good.
The work being done at CSD-17, is of great importance for us all. The policies that come out of CSD-17 have special ramifications for the Earth and the poor. There is no room for governments to be only seeking their nation’s particular interest, or for the interest of one individual to be sought. Recognizing that not all believe in God, and that not everyone prays, still the intrinsic attitude of emptiness and openness found in genuine prayer is one required at the U.N., and in every legislative body. It is only when we place ourselves in this position, that we can be open to a new potential. Even in the midst of a secular institution such as the U.N. one can still pause, and at least remember that there are things of greater importance than our-selves. And for those who are religious, we need to remember, as those at the U.N. now do, that words in themselves are empty signs unless they be accompanied by a life well lived. This action of humility is important for international organizations, nations, and individuals to remember, not just for one day, but every day.
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National Day of Prayer: Not Sufficient
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