Erica Gamester: The Phenomenology of Prayer #2

“Prayer is the beginning of responsibility because it begins a response.” (Page 17)

In the novel, The Phenomenology of Prayer, Samuel’s prayer is analyzed. This analysis breaks down the key qualities of prayer. Prayer is a selfless (kenotic) gesture that allows our spirit to absorb God’s word. It allows us to connect with our Higher Power as well as other humans when we pray for one another.

Prayer is defined as “a task of a lifetime” (Page 19). This gives humans the opportunity to develop their relationship with God at different rates. For example, a middle age man who has been praying his entire life so far can have a well-developed and prospering relationship with God. While another man of the same age and spends the same amount of time praying could have a more immature relationship.

For myself, a relationship with my Higher Power didn’t commence until my first year of high school in 2009. God and I were reintroduced at a Christian treatment center in Arizona. I was sent here to start my recovery from an eating disorder that had been eating away at me spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Previous to being admitted here, I wasn’t religiously or spiritually active. The only time I prayed was during Christmas mass that my grandparents took my sisters and me to once a year. My parents weren’t incredibly involved in religious practices themselves, so it’s not a surprise that my sisters and I turned out the same. But because of this, we were never taught how to pray or to even understand the foundation of faith.

In this treatment center, I was introduced to a group of girls with the same behavioral addiction/obsession with food. Disregarding our mutual downfalls, the girls were very kind and open to newcomers. They assisted me in quickly becoming accustomed to the day-to-day activities we took part in within the program. These activities included going to church twice a day, reciting prayer and scripture, discussion in bible study and participating in therapy groups. My inexperience and naivety caused me to be vulnerable to praying and receiving God’s word; Inevitably, I was able to jumpstart my newfound spirituality.

Through intensive daily prayer and seeking spiritual support through my peers, I began to develop my profound relationship with God. Even though it was at a later point in my life than most, prayer is a “task of a lifetime”; one’s understanding of God is not defined by the quantity of time praying, but the quality of the prayer itself.