Logan Miller
Essay 10: Praying
with a de-centered self (Phenomenology of Prayer)
I
find what Merold Westphal says to be very accurate. I can relate to his notion
that the latter 4 of the 5 aspects of prayer are very comfortable, because its
natural to appreciate what is given to you, but with praise, it is very hard to
pray with the point of simple praise. It is uncomfortable. It is so because it
is not focused on the self in the same way the latter 4 are. This focusing on
oneself is comfortable, yet does not show reverence to God and does not acknowledge
who he is, but only what he can do. I think that if we were to really sit and
think outside of ourselves with the purpose of comprehending what exactly God
can do, we would have no option but to praise him for what he is capable of.
But I think the purpose of praise is more about who he is, and who he is relates
to what he is capable of. The process of focusing on oneself is normal, yet it
ignores the reality that the one or “I” is so minute in comparison to God. When
one begins to see the minuteness of their own life in the grand scheme of
things, it then becomes possible to focus less on oneself and more on the
creator. To de-center yourself is difficult, but can return in a more realistic
and powerful/appropriate form of prayer.
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