1 3 . Th e P o w e r o f Helpless Prayer
I
n October, 1978, ten years after his ordination as a priest in Prague, Fr. Miloslav Vlk was picked up by state authorities and prohibited from exercising any priestly ministry. He was forced to withdraw from association with Church activity and became a window cleaner in downtown Prague. During this time, he was haunted by questions about his vocation and wondered whether he had any priestly identity at all. He could not lead, worship with, console, or instruct his people. He was troubled by discouragement and by doubts about whether in his present status, to all appearances a layman, his priesthood meant anything. Then he had an illumination in which he realized, as he wrote later, that “Jesus arrived at the climax of his priesthood when, nailed to the cross, he could not walk, perform miracles, nor preach, but—abandoned—suffered in silence” (A Lenten Pilgrimage—Journeying with Jesus). Jesus did the most he could for people, achieving salvation and redemption, when he yielded completely to the Father’s will, giving up personal control and power completely. This prayer and offering was his ministry. This realization gave Fr. Vlk a new sense of his priestly identity and service, and it also gave him peace as he continued to wash windows until he was able to return to regular ministry in 1989 at the beginning of what would become the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. All of us have times when we feel helpless to do what we think we should. It may be on the national or international level, as we watch developments that we know can only lead 47
Is God in My Top Ten?
to suffering and ruin. But this is not where we suffer most often. Mostly it is closer to home, as when parents watch their grown children going down wrong paths or see them suffering in their own families, or when someone we love is sunk in bitterness or is terminally ill. We feel helpless, like Fr. Vlk. What can we do? This is where the mystery of redemption comes to our rescue. In terms of this world, when we are helpless, we are powerless. However, in the mystery of Christ on the cross, as Fr. Vlk learned, it is altogether different. We can unite ourselves to Christ in his suffering, trusting in the love of the Father and yielding to his will. Fr. Jacques Philippe puts it succinctly in his wonderful little book, Interior Freedom: “The more devoid of means our love is, the purer and greater it is” (59). St. Paul experienced this in his ministry and said, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). What better can we do for our loved ones who are struggling than simply lift them up to the Lord while holding them in our hearts and in our prayers? We know what we want for them, but maybe we don’t know what is best for them. Our Father knows and can do infinitely more than we can for them. This is why the highest form of Christian prayer is wordless, simply spending time with God in silence. The early Christians referred to monologistos prayer, prayer of a single word or phrase, especially the name of Jesus, or the Jesus Prayer, recited over and over, as a means of focusing. Mother Teresa was asked what she said to God in prayer, and she said, “I just listen.” And what does God say to you? “He just listens.” Prayer has many forms that we may always incorporate into 48
The Power of Helpless Prayer
our practice, but the progression of prayer is from instructing God about what he should do toward offering him our presence in an attitude of humble supplication and submission. Life brings periods of helplessness when we are confined to bed, very sick or immobilized because of an accident or trauma. It is easy to be overwhelmed by frustration or depression during these times. These are times when, if we understand the power of helpless prayer, the distress may be lessened or healed by hope. This is even more important for people whose helplessness will be permanent because of a major disability or because of the natural onset of the diminishment that comes with age. Our nursing homes contain people undergoing all kinds of suffering, especially that of abandonment. The amazing thing is that in those beds of helplessness, we encounter some people who are radiant with peace and joy. What is their secret? Perhaps their faith has led them to understand the power of helpless prayer. 
49