Why Do We Pray? ~ A CIC Conversation

“Now I lay me down to sleep…” I think they are the words of prayer my mother first taught me as a young child. Poetic, rich in theology, & yet so simple that even today I can still recite them from memory. Since the dawn of sentient life on earth, humanity has reached out in the desire of communion with the divine. Prayer is the contemplative awakening to our being in relationship to that which is beyond us; a wonder that not only can reveal purpose & meaning but bring the comfort of knowing we are known & significant to the one we pray with. Yesterday I gathered with a small few at the University of Calgary to hear a First Nations Elder, a Christian professor from Ambrose University, & a practicing Muslim. We came to hear the conversation between the three of them around the question, “Why do we pray?” The amazing dialogue that formed revealed a fantastic stream of thought that inspires me to explore further questions around the practices of prayer.