Cedric Pisegna - Prayer is a Vital Necessity
Welcome to «Live With Passion»! I’m Father Cedric Pisegna. I want to proclaim to you from the Gospel of Luke. This is Luke chapter 6: «In these days, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. When it was day, he called his disciples and he chose from them 12 whom he named apostles». Prayer for Jesus was his life blood. It was a vital necessity. He constantly prayed, and if Jesus the Son of God prayed so often and so intensely, how much should we pray? Very important. If you go to the hospital, one of the first things they do is they take your vital signs. That’s your breath, your respiration, your body temperature, but especially your blood pressure, your pulse. The vital signs are absolutely necessary and an essential ingredient about your health. In the same way, we are told in the Catholic catechism that Christian prayer is a vital necessity. In order to connect with God, in order to have that flow from God, we have to be praying.
Prayer is our lifeblood. It’s essential. It’s an essential ingredient, vitally important. It was Saint Alphonsus Liguori, great saint in the Catholic Church, founded the Redemptorist community. He made a very blatant statement: «Those who pray are certainly saved. Those who don’t pray are certainly damned». Wow, what a statement. Prayer and the Christian are inseparable. Prayer helps us and empowers us to receive eternal life. Studied in Rome, I was glad to be there. I also studied in the Holy Land. But remember one time I went into the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine chapel, right by the Vatican, and Michelangelo did these magnificent works in the Sistine Chapel. And as you walk in, you see the sanctuary wall and on the sanctuary walls, the Last Judgment.
You see Jesus coming as judge at the Last Judgment. Around him are the angels and the blessed. Down below are the damned. We had an art teacher who pointed some things out for us. And one of the things that she pointed out was this man dangling from what looked to be a rope and an angel was holding the rope and the man was dangling between heaven and hell from the rope. And she told us to go up close and look at it and it wasn’t a rope. What was keeping that man out of hell and connected to heaven wasn’t a rope. It was a rosary. That was Michelangelo’s way of saying that eternity is determined by our prayer. It’s vitally important. It’s an essential ingredient to our life.
In fact, that’s exactly what happened to me when I was a young man, 18, 19 years old, searching. Came to the scriptures and I read, «Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened; ask and you shall receive». And by the way, that’s prayer too. When you come to the Bible, you come to the scriptures and you listen, prayer is a communication process, speaking of course, but also listening. We listen to creation, we listen to our conscience. We listen to the books that we read that are spiritual. Certainly we listen to the Bible. And when I read that, «Ask and you shall receive; knock and the door will be opened; seek and you will find,» I began to hear. I was praying as I listened.
When you go to mass or when you hear the preacher at your particular religious service, you’re praying because you’re listening and right now you’re praying as you watch this program and listening to me or as you listen on the radio. And I heard from the scriptures that I needed to be praying. And as I did pray, eventually, didn’t happen right away. But eventually I received. I received a touch from the Holy Spirit, the assurance of eternal life, and I received a rebirth. Eternity is determined by prayer. It’s a vital necessity, an essential ingredient of eternal life. Prayer is so important. This series is all about how God is with us.
Well, that’s true. We can be with God as we pray. God is with us all the time. But sometimes we’re not very aware of it or we are distracted by other things. But when we pray, what we’re doing is opening ourselves up to the presence of God. God is with us. We need to be with God. And that’s exactly what happens when we pray. I find that when I pray, there’s an immediate consolation, just being able to come before the King of the universe. And by the way, when you pray, it should be Trinitarian.
What do I mean by that? You pray to your Father, you pray to Jesus, you pray to the Holy Spirit, three persons in one God. You pray to one person, you’re praying to the Trinity. So whether it’s to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit or to God the Father, when you pray, there’s a consolation, there’s an immediate strength, there’s a comfort. Somehow whatever burdens you have or whatever problems or trials you’re going through, you just simply come to God with prayer. They may not be taken totally away, but there’s a consolation. It’s so good.
If we’re facing something difficult, facing a trial, it’s amazing the strength that we get as we pray. And Jesus was strengthened as he prayed, as we know. He was facing crucifixion. He knew he was about to be tortured to death and in the Garden of Gethsemane, fell on his face, sweating blood. He had lost all of his energy and he was fainting almost. And it says that an angel came to strengthen him and he got up and he faced his destiny. It was a horrible torture, horrible affliction. He was crucified for you and me. My point is, is that he was strengthened through prayer. He knew exactly what to do, to pray for strength. That’s exactly what happens in our life. Even though you may not feel it, whatever you’re facing, certainly before a production, I always pray and I find God strengthening me to be able to do it, giving me the power that I need.
And that’s exactly why we pray. We pray for strength and you can trust God to give you strength. And then prayer changes us. If you remember in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is transfigured. He’s transfigured in Mark and Matthew also. But Luke adds a beautiful tidbit, if you will. He adds that Jesus was praying and as he was praying, his face changed, his clothes became dazzling white and his face shone like the sun. By the way, in the Gospel of Matthew, it tells us that one day, this is gonna be one of the benefits of heaven. One day, our face is gonna shine like the sun. Wow, how beautiful. But Jesus was praying and he changed. You know what that tells me? That prayer changes us. Yes, prayer changes things. We’ve got to believe that.
God hears our prayer. But also prayer, I think the primary purpose of prayer is so that we change. Be the change that you’re praying for. Jesus was changed by prayer and we can be changed also. Sometimes it feels like God isn’t hearing us, but I assure you that God does. Prayer changes us. That’s why the 12-Step program, if you know anything about Alcoholics Anonymous or any of the 12-Step programs, an important ingredient, in fact, it’s the 11th step. An important ingredient to recovery is prayer. In the 12-step program, it’s called «Conscious contact with God». And I like that term, «conscious contact,» because oftentimes our consciousness is so distracted by so many different things that we forget about God.
One rabbi years ago said that the beginning of sin is to forget God. And what prayer does is it brings us into contact. There is a flow. One of the images that I like to use for prayer is that of an umbilical cord. If you know, the mother’s womb, the baby’s in there connected to the mother with an umbilical cord. And that umbilical cord has a flow of nutrients and liquids to the baby. The baby is nourished from the mother. In the same way, we need wisdom, we need grace, we need strength, we need consolation. That’s what prayer is, is that flow. And did you notice as I proclaim to you about prayer, that reading, Jesus spent all night in prayer to God on the mountaintop, then he chose his disciples. It was through prayer that he made his decision.
Most of the time, we just decide on our own and make our own choices. We’re not even thinking about God. What about praying before you make your flight arrangements? What about praying before you go drive somewhere? What about praying before you buy something? Include God. I love what it says in Proverbs: «Acknowledge God in all of your ways and he will direct your steps». Prayer is acknowledging God. It’s depending on God. It’s telling God, «I need you. I need your help to make my decisions. I need your help to have strength. I need your help to come into recovery. I need your help to change».
That’s what prayer does. Prayer is so beautiful that way. Prayer, oftentimes it seems like we don’t have an answer. But I want to assure you that God does hear and perhaps he answers you in ways that you don’t know. Most of the time you think, «Well, I haven’t heard God’s voice. I don’t think God is answering me,» or «I’m not seeing my circumstances change. I don’t think God’s answering». Or maybe you have somebody who’s addicted and they’re not changing and you’ve been praying for them.
I remember a woman came up to me one time said, «Father Cedric. I don’t think God hears my prayer». And I go, «What do you mean»? She said, «I’ve been praying for years for my husband who’s an alcoholic. Been praying for him to come into recovery and nothing has happened». And I reminded her about the 12-Step program and the wisdom of the 12-Step program. Sometimes it’s not the person you’re praying for that will get the change, it’s you that will get the change. And what I said, «prayer changes us,» can change other people too. We intercede, we have petitions. But I think primarily, prayer is about us changing. You’ve heard that beautiful prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr: «God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference».
And that’s what I told her. The wisdom of the 12-step program says that we gotta change first in accepting situations, accepting people, having courage, having wisdom. So it seems like sometimes God doesn’t answer prayer, but I assure you that God does. It starts with us. But there are different circumstances that change. People may come into our life. We may have a breakthrough. Oftentimes God works in the ordinary. I remember a man told me one time he’d just lost his wife to death. And he said to me, he said, «I was standing at the window sill in my kitchen and it was the strangest thing. A cardinal came and landed on the window sill». And he said, «My wife loved cardinals. And that was God speaking to me that she’s okay».
I remember right after my mom died about 10 years ago, my dad had died about 20 years ago. But finally, I lost my mom at age 90. I remember I was devastated and grieving. And I knelt by her bed right after I had had the funeral. I was in her bedroom, knelt by her bed, and I was distracted. I was praying for her and I looked out the window and I saw these two butterflies doing an aerial acrobatic and they were flying around each other having fun and they didn’t fly away. They just stayed right there by the window. And as I was watching that, I thought to myself, «Mom and Dad are okay. This is a sign».
I remember one time a woman told me she said that she had a dog named Daisy. Loved that dog. And the dog finally passed away and she buried the dog. About a month later, she couldn’t believe it. Right over the grave, there was a little daisy growing and she said that was a sign to her that that dog was okay. To most people, you’d be thinking, «What, are you crazy»? But I have to believe that God answers us in ways that are ordinary, maybe a shooting star or a rainbow or a feeling of peace. God hears our prayer and he answers our prayers.
Really important to understand. Jesus was praying at a certain place one time. This is in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, and the disciples, and in the Gospels, the disciples are those of no faith or little faith. They bumble all the time. They’re putting their foot in their mouth, that’s Peter. They betray him, they deny him. The disciples are kind of like us in many ways. They have trouble following Jesus. They came up to Jesus, watching him, and they said, «Lord, teach us to pray». They were observing Jesus praying and they said, «John the Baptist taught his disciples. Lord, you teach us to pray». And it’s interesting, Jesus then gave them the «Our Father,» very short.
Now, Jesus knew how to wax eloquently. He had parables and he had all kinds of teaching and he could have made the «Our Father» this long religious prayer. But he didn’t. It was a very short prayer. It’s in the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Luke. They’re a little different in both Gospels. But if you look at it, I’m struck by how short the «Our Father» is. And by the way, that’s the number one prayer prayed by people all over the world, all the time. I know in religious life we’re always praying the «Our Father» when we get together. During mass, we pray the «Our Father». It’s a beautiful prayer. And what was Jesus saying? He’s saying: Keep it simple. He said, «Don’t multiply your words, thinking that you’re gonna be heard because of the multiplicity of your words and how many things that you say. Rather, keep it simple. Get to the point. Focus. Tell God your need. God already knows what you need before you ask him. But lay it out there, and keep it simple. Don’t try to sound religious. Don’t put on airs, don’t pray for everybody to see you».
I’ve been to Jerusalem, to the Wailing Wall, and everybody’s there going like this… and putting the petitions in the wall. And I’ve done that too, but sometimes people just wanna pray to be seen. I remember as a presider of prayer, I’ll be up in front of 1000 people or 500 people. And they all wanna see how I pray. I feel like I’m on stage in some ways and I like it better when I go to my closet, Jesus said. He said, «When you pray, go to your closet. Pray to your Father in secret, and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you».
That’s what I like about prayer. I’m a presider of prayer and I like to lead people in prayer. Don’t get me wrong about that. But I take the mask off. I’m who I really am. I try to do that in front of people. But I’m very honest, very vulnerable, before I got in my closet. And I pray in secret. I love what Jesus said. He said that your Father will reward you. And what’s the reward? The reward is God himself. God is our inheritance, by the way, the scripture says. We are an heir to God. That’s our inheritance. God is gonna be our treasure forever. And even now, we can experience God through prayer. So you keep it simple. And in the «Our Father,» Jesus begins with «Our».
By the way, it’s not just you and God, it’s us and God. It is a personal relationship, but it’s also a communal relationship. Our Father. And when he said, «Father,» Jesus was saying, it’s relational, it’s intimacy. When you pray to God, God isn’t a slot machine that you put money in, you pull the lever, and you hope to get more money out. Some people pray like that. They’re just looking for things. «Seek and you will find; ask and you shall receive; knock and the door will be opened». «If you know how to give good gifts to your children,» Jesus taught, «how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask».
It’s relational. It’s all about God. Number one priority: prayer is about God. Keep it simple. And then be confident. Jesus before the tomb of Lazarus prayed, «Father, I know you hear my prayer. Thank you for hearing my prayer». Then he prayed and Lazarus was raised. That is confidence. Tells us in the book of Hebrews to «come boldly before the throne of God, confidently before the throne of God». You might be thinking, «Well, how can I do that? I’ve sinned and I haven’t been obeying and I haven’t been tithing and I’m not worthy».
Nobody’s worthy. But all of us, if you’ve been baptized and you’re a believer, you’re in Christ. I’m going to produce a whole episode in this series about what it means to be in Christ and Christ is in you because the prayer of a righteous person avails much. It’s efficacious before God. And it’s not our righteousness, it’s not our virtue per se, that makes God hear us. But it’s the fact that we’re in Christ, we are Christians. Jesus was heard because of his humility and his reverence before God. And we are in Jesus. Therefore, as we come to God in Christ, there is one mediator between God and man: Jesus Christ. And by the way, you might be thinking, «Wait a minute, you’re a priest. Aren’t you a mediator»?
I’m a priest of Jesus Christ. There’s one mediator, Jesus, and our priesthood is in Christ. So therefore, as a priest, yes, I stand in the gap like Moses and pray for you. Thank you to all of my benefactors, my partners, those of you who donate to my ministry, you buy my books. You have to understand that behind the scenes, I’m a monk. I live in a monastery. I pray for you at every Mass. I’m praying for those of you who are reading my books that you are touched. And I really want you to get this book, «The Sacred Quest». It’s all about prayer. I can only speak to you for a little while on this program. But I read that book over and over. It strengthens me and helps me to have an on-fire prayer life.
But the bottom line is, is what I’m trying to tell you is that I intercede for you, I pray for you, my viewers, my listeners, but especially my benefactors and my partners who help me to reach out around the world with the gospel, wow. So prayer is relational. It’s all about God and be confident because God does hear us. And he works through faith. Faith opens the door. When I talk about confidence, believing prayer, you don’t just believe that God is there. Of course, he’s there. But you trust. You trust that he hears you. You believe that he hears you and he does hear you.
Now, he may not answer you exactly the way you want to be answered. I heard a humorous saying about prayer that God answers prayer in one of three ways: Yes, No, and you’ve gotta be kidding me. Some of the petitions that God gets are crazy. But the bottom line is, is that God hears us. And then if you read the Gospel of Luke, you’ll hear all kinds of parables that Jesus talks about, teaching about prayer. And the bottom line is, is he said, «Be persistent, consistent with your prayer life». That means that you don’t pray one day and then the next day you kind of let it go. You really have to be, it’s gotta be in a routine. You make time for God.
As a religious, we have set prayer times that we pray together with. But the bottom line is you gotta pray on your own too. Be consistent. Be persistent. Prayer isn’t just something we do once in a while. It is a lifestyle as Christians. You gotta be praying as soon as you wake up, as soon as you go to bed. You know what a good Jew prays right before they go to bed? «Father, into your hands, I commit my Spirit».
Remember how Jesus died? «Father, into your hands, I commit my Spirit». You’re giving yourself over to God as you go to sleep. As you wake up in the morning, I pray, «Father glory. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, make the sign of the cross. Glory to you». I love you. Don’t forget to tell God that you love him. That’s one of the most beautiful prayers. Another beautiful prayer is «Help». God knows how to help us and come to our assistance. Prayer is a vital necessity. Have a routine. Acknowledge God in all your ways.