12/9/2020 St Paul and Prayer | Loyola Press

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St. Paul and Prayer

We can see from St. Paul’s letters that prayer was an important part of his life. He prayed because God was the center of his
universe. “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) “Pray
without ceasing,” he told the Thessalonians, “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18)

Paul addresses his prayer to God the Father, in the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit: “In the same way, the
Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes
with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26) Paul rarely prays for worldly things like health, prosperity, or healing. These
things don’t last. He says that “we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is
unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Ephesians offers a good summary of Pauline prayer,

“. . . that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and
grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what
is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be lled with all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:17–19)

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