Most people who belong to the Abrahamic faith traditions---Jews, Christians and Muslims---know that prayer is foundational to their way of practicing that tradition. No doubt, there is more in common in their approach to prayer than separates them. Probably the biggest problem for adherents of all three faiths is the discrepancy between knowing they should pray and actually praying! I know that is my normal downfall. My problem is not lack of knowledge. I would even say I am willing. But too often I simply don’t pray. I want to explore that.
If I had a mentor in prayer, it would be the Jewish theologian of the twentieth century, Abraham Joshua Heschel. I never met Heschel, but wish I had. He was born in Europe and left that continent in the midst of the Nazi disaster. He landed finally in this country and ultimately had an amazing career teaching at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Heschel was not only an academic. He was a man who practiced his faith and put it into action.
Every time I read Heschel, I always feel like I am being exposed to his own spiritual experience, which is being articulated in order to help me. I imagine he is telling me how he does it and, in return, is asking me how I am doing it. It could be prayer, social concern or witnessing for peace. No doubt, the iconic picture of Heschel is being in the front row of the march on Selma, leading as surely as Martin Luther King, Jr. That image is one of my all-time favorites. It says so much about interfaith dialogue---and action.
Recently, I was pondering prayer. I could think of nothing more helpful than consulting Heschel. One of the books I continue to reference is Quest for God. Originally penned in 1954, the thinking about prayer is timeless and always challenging. The book is a goldmine of advice and encouragement. He gives the title, “Spontaneity is the Goal,” to a chapter that I find profound. I cite some thoughts from that chapter and then offer a few comments.
Heschel begins one paragraph in an almost funny way. He says, “There is a specific difficulty of Jewish prayer.” He continues: “there are laws; how to pray, when to pray, what to pray. There are fixed times, fixed ways, fixed texts. I see where he is coming from and realize, for me as a Quaker, this is not really true. Maybe this explains why I fail to do it. There is no fixed time, etc., so I just don’t bother. Heschel could complain about the fixedness; I might complain about the lack of it!
But then, Heschel turns over the prayer coin. He notes, “On the other hand, prayer is worship of the heart, the outpouring of the soul, a matter of kavanah (inner devotion). Once again, as a Quaker, I relate so much to this description of prayer. I too think it is a heart-thing. It should be an outpouring of the soul. I never heard of the word, kavanah, but understand that Hebrew term explains exactly what Quakers would insist is key. And Quakers would be joined by Pentecostals and other Christians---and Sufis and other Muslims.
What I sense Heschel is offering is the fact that prayer---when viewed correctly---has both a fixedness and a freedom aspect. This can be a real learning for me. I eagerly read further in Heschel’s text. “Thus, Jewish prayer is guided by two opposite principles: order and outburst, regularity and spontaneity, uniformity and individuality, law and freedom, a duty and a prerogative…” and he goes on. There is so much here, so I want to unpack it a bit.
I appreciate the fact that two principles (or pairs) guide the life of prayer. The first term of every pair seems to be linked to what he called the “fixed.” This seems like the one aspect of the pair in our control. It is the planned part which we know we can do and which we probably need to do in order to be gifted the second aspect of the pair. Let’s take the first pair: order and outburst.
I can do the order by routinely following the Benedictine lectionary and developing a prayer life off that plan. Simply to sit around waiting for outburst to happen is silly and unlikely. I have to do something! The second pair is similar: regularity and spontaneity. In effect I think Heschel tells us if we cannot manage to be regular in prayer, why should we expect spontaneously to be gifted by the Spirit. Regularity probably prepares out hearts for spontaneity.
The third pair is interesting: uniformity and individuality. I suspect this comes from Heschel’s sense of community and tradition. If we are a people, then there is a uniformity that comes from being Jewish, Quaker, Muslim, etc. Again, if we cannot manage that, why should we expect to get out own little individual shot of God’s presence? It is almost like he says we have to play the game to get the win.
Law and freedom are the third pair. This seems pretty simple. Anyone who is honest knows there is a role for law, rules and regulation. This makes life and prayer doable. And it allows for the experience of freedom in the midst of the law. It is not right to ask only for freedom. Finally, comes the pair, duty and prerogative. You cannot have one without the other. I have to want both.
Heschel makes pondering prayer a growth possibility in my prayer life.
If I had a mentor in prayer, it would be the Jewish theologian of the twentieth century, Abraham Joshua Heschel. I never met Heschel, but wish I had. He was born in Europe and left that continent in the midst of the Nazi disaster. He landed finally in this country and ultimately had an amazing career teaching at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Heschel was not only an academic. He was a man who practiced his faith and put it into action.
Every time I read Heschel, I always feel like I am being exposed to his own spiritual experience, which is being articulated in order to help me. I imagine he is telling me how he does it and, in return, is asking me how I am doing it. It could be prayer, social concern or witnessing for peace. No doubt, the iconic picture of Heschel is being in the front row of the march on Selma, leading as surely as Martin Luther King, Jr. That image is one of my all-time favorites. It says so much about interfaith dialogue---and action.
Recently, I was pondering prayer. I could think of nothing more helpful than consulting Heschel. One of the books I continue to reference is Quest for God. Originally penned in 1954, the thinking about prayer is timeless and always challenging. The book is a goldmine of advice and encouragement. He gives the title, “Spontaneity is the Goal,” to a chapter that I find profound. I cite some thoughts from that chapter and then offer a few comments.
Heschel begins one paragraph in an almost funny way. He says, “There is a specific difficulty of Jewish prayer.” He continues: “there are laws; how to pray, when to pray, what to pray. There are fixed times, fixed ways, fixed texts. I see where he is coming from and realize, for me as a Quaker, this is not really true. Maybe this explains why I fail to do it. There is no fixed time, etc., so I just don’t bother. Heschel could complain about the fixedness; I might complain about the lack of it!
But then, Heschel turns over the prayer coin. He notes, “On the other hand, prayer is worship of the heart, the outpouring of the soul, a matter of kavanah (inner devotion). Once again, as a Quaker, I relate so much to this description of prayer. I too think it is a heart-thing. It should be an outpouring of the soul. I never heard of the word, kavanah, but understand that Hebrew term explains exactly what Quakers would insist is key. And Quakers would be joined by Pentecostals and other Christians---and Sufis and other Muslims.
What I sense Heschel is offering is the fact that prayer---when viewed correctly---has both a fixedness and a freedom aspect. This can be a real learning for me. I eagerly read further in Heschel’s text. “Thus, Jewish prayer is guided by two opposite principles: order and outburst, regularity and spontaneity, uniformity and individuality, law and freedom, a duty and a prerogative…” and he goes on. There is so much here, so I want to unpack it a bit.
I appreciate the fact that two principles (or pairs) guide the life of prayer. The first term of every pair seems to be linked to what he called the “fixed.” This seems like the one aspect of the pair in our control. It is the planned part which we know we can do and which we probably need to do in order to be gifted the second aspect of the pair. Let’s take the first pair: order and outburst.
I can do the order by routinely following the Benedictine lectionary and developing a prayer life off that plan. Simply to sit around waiting for outburst to happen is silly and unlikely. I have to do something! The second pair is similar: regularity and spontaneity. In effect I think Heschel tells us if we cannot manage to be regular in prayer, why should we expect spontaneously to be gifted by the Spirit. Regularity probably prepares out hearts for spontaneity.
The third pair is interesting: uniformity and individuality. I suspect this comes from Heschel’s sense of community and tradition. If we are a people, then there is a uniformity that comes from being Jewish, Quaker, Muslim, etc. Again, if we cannot manage that, why should we expect to get out own little individual shot of God’s presence? It is almost like he says we have to play the game to get the win.
Law and freedom are the third pair. This seems pretty simple. Anyone who is honest knows there is a role for law, rules and regulation. This makes life and prayer doable. And it allows for the experience of freedom in the midst of the law. It is not right to ask only for freedom. Finally, comes the pair, duty and prerogative. You cannot have one without the other. I have to want both.
Heschel makes pondering prayer a growth possibility in my prayer life.
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