The power of prayer: God hears but the answer may not be easily recognized

In the Netflix historical drama series “Vikings: Valhalla,” the Christian king Olaf Haraldsson, and the Pagan queen, Freydis Eiriksdottir prayed to their god/gods for success against their enemies before a bloody pivotal battle between their two armies. Indeed, the scene depicts the clash over their conflicting Christian and Pagan beliefs about the creative tension between human agency and divine providence. I am reminded of that scene upon reading Mahar Mangahas’ column, “Are prayers answered?” (Social Climate, 4/15/23). Mangahas added that it has reminded him that the Social Weather Stations (SWS) has not conducted surveys on whether prayers get answered or whether the answers are favorable or otherwise. He promised to do it in the future in time for his next year’s post-Holy Week column. Given that different religious traditions offer significantly different understandings of prayer, it is important to reflect on the nature and meaning of these differences.

In this country, there is no lack of anecdotal evidence about how prayer works. Regardless, this widespread belief fits with the perspective of Catholic self-understanding that God hears all prayers, although the answers may not be easily recognized. Indeed, the efficacy of prayers may be in terms of the conversion of the faithful rather than in terms, say, of their petition prayers for healing or passing a licensure exam. In addition, they may be answered by helping the person grow spiritually and/or psychologically through their experience of sorrows and joys, by helping someone live through their existential challenges better, or by providentially leading the person to a new cure or strategies provider with better solutions to their needs and problems.

Interestingly, there are two ways to approach the question of whether prayer works or not: theological and scientific. First, theology, as a tool of religion, explains prayers’ nature, purpose, and how they can be lived and practiced in the light of faith. The Catholic theology of prayer as a dialogue with God invites persons to pray not so much to request good things from God. But as the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” teaches, it is to raise one’s mind and heart to God to know His will. Several theologies of prayer are developed to help people move from blind fatalism and superstitions toward developing a sound life prayer.

The second way of studying prayer is by engaging with other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and medicine. When these disciplines study prayer, descriptive observations are made regarding the lived experiences and perspectives of the subjects of study. They can provide an in-depth and emic understanding of prayer as a human experience. The intent is not to prove or disprove religious truth claims about prayer, but they only seek to provide new levels of understanding of them. A case in point is the study of Herbert Benson, M.D. of Harvard Medical School (2006). His team evaluated the effects of intercessory prayer on patients who underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Following medical protocols for scientific study, Benson et al. concluded that intercessory prayer before the presence of a power, a force, energy, or what was perceived as God, made no difference to the outcomes of the surgery.

Given that theologians and philosophers have raised the question of whether such scientific approaches can describe and explain the phenomenon of prayer, it is worth praying for and looking forward to the survey of SWS and Mangahas.

Noel Asiones,[email protected]