Is it possible to be a failure at prayer? The answer is “yes,” and this Sunday we’ll talk about two
failures at prayer, depicted for us in the Gospel reading, the parable of the Publican and Pharisee.
Think about this for a moment: What are you telling God in prayer that He, God, doesn’t already
know? If God knows everything already then what is the point of praying, you may ask? What is
prayer? What shall you (or shall you not) say while in the “Temple”? Why is the Pharisee a
failure at prayer even though everything he said is true? All these questions and many others lead
to one big question: How shall you pray?
Prayer is neither a press release nor a lecture to God. It is not about informing HIM about
something; He knows everything already. Prayer is a sacred moment of introspection, of
acknowledgment of our total need for God. Prayer is a “holy hour” of repentance: confession of
our wrongdoing, contrition about our evil-feelings toward others and reparation/reconciliation
with God and brethren. Prayer is never about what I think or feel about the other person near me!
The publican somehow got it right. He understood the need for God’s mercy. But the Pharisee,
doctor of the law, who thought to know more than God, didn’t get it.
Here is the question: Where are you in your prayer life? Where and how do you pray to God
today? Are you in this “Temple” to tell God about what the other person did or did not do to you?
When will the “publican heart” in you show up? God is waiting.