Shortly after a tragedy occurs, there is frequently condemnation of prayer. People complain that “thoughts and prayers” do nothing, or they even lash out at the faithful.
To a certain extent, I understand the frustration: we are a nation that values action. We believe that actions speak louder than words. We implore people to “practice what they preach.” We want to see the fruit of labor.
The disconnect comes when we assume that because we don’t always see the fruit of prayer, it is meaningless. Prayer is the most important, most powerful, most necessary action to take. We are appealing to the infinite God of the universe who loves us so much he sacrificed his only son. If we want to see things change, we must turn to Him.
Though it’s true people may use the phrase “thoughts and prayers” to avoid actions they could (or should) take, many people (and I would even argue the majority) are praying sincerely. As we are faced with these incomprehensible horrors, the most natural response is to turn to our Heavenly Father.
Though we may be able to recognize this intellectually, there are still questions that come up in times of tragedy
Prayer is the most important, most powerful, most necessary action to take. Click To TweetWhy does God let bad things happen in the first place?
I think this is hands down the biggest roadblock for people when it comes to accepting God. It seems unimaginable that a good God would allow bad things to happen. This is a complicated topic, and it is one I cannot adequately cover in a single blog post, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
- God does not cause bad things to happen. He allows them to happen.
- God uses all occurrences – good and bad- to fulfill His plan.
- God gave us free will because, without it, we cannot experience true love. True love can only be experienced if it is given freely. Unfortunately, people also use their free will to do terrible things.
- We were created to be in perfect union with God. We find eternal happiness when we are in perfect union with Him in Heaven. God never promised that our time on earth would be without suffering, and Jesus cautioned us that our lives on earth may be full of suffering but will ultimately lead to joy.
If you’re looking for additional resources on this topic, I recommend the following.
The Problem of Evil (article) on Catholic Answers
Why Horrible Suffering Does Not Disprove God’s Existence (article) on Catholic Answers
If God, Why Evil? (article) by Catholic News Agency
Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. has some great talks, articles, and books on the topic of suffering.
Does prayer change anything?
Simply put, prayer does not change God’s mind.
People sometimes treat God like a “cosmic vending machine,” believing that if they just put in enough prayers, they’ll get the result they want. Our prayers never go unanswered, but God doesn’t always answer them in the way that we desire. This is where we must hold on to our faith – even if God, doesn’t give us the answer we want, we need to believe that He has a greater plan. I know this is hard, and it is something I struggle with myself, but if we lose faith, we lose everything.
So why should we bother to pray? There are three reasons:
- God’s plan may be contingent on our prayers. In doing this, God allows us to become more intimately involved with His plan.
- Prayer changes us. It draws us closer to the Lord and helps us grow in virtue.
- Prayer fosters a habit of trust in the Lord. Relying on our faith helps us stand strong through the storms that will continue to occur in our life.
For more detailed answers on why bothering to pray, I recommend Does prayer change God’s mind? (short article), Pointless Prayer or Gracious God? (article), and Does Prayer Change God’s Mind (essay).
For a fantastic, modern example of trusting God and remaining faithful in prayer in the midst of tragedy, I cannot recommend the story of Chiara Corbella Petrillo enough! You can find the book here, but a quick Google search also yields a lot of results.
So what should we do?
I hope my points above have made this clear, but just to reiterate: WE MUST PRAY!
Friends, there is no better option than to pray. God can do so much more than we can in every situation. He is the source of hope, peace, and joy. To reject God is to reject the solution.
To reject God is to reject the solution. Click To Tweet
That being said, we might be called to do more than prayer. God has gifted us with talents and resources that are meant to serve the Body of Christ. This is particularly important because when part of the body suffers, the entire body suffers. If you are able to financially support rehabilitation efforts, do it. If you can donate blood to those who were injured, do it. If you can call up a friend or family member impacted by the tragedy, do it.
But even as you do those things (and more), keep praying.
Pray for the souls of those who were killed.
Pray for a peaceful passing for those homebound and healing for those injured.
Pray for the consolation of those who are impacted by this tragedy.
Pray for the conversion of the heart(s) of those that instigated the tragedy.
Pray for that those who are able to provide support in addition to prayer do so.
Pray that God makes it clear how He wants you to respond.
Pray that leaders will make the right decisions.
Pray that our country will choose peace.
Keep praying.
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Couple praying photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Man praying photo by whoislimos on Unsplash
The photo I edited for social media posts was originally by Ben White on Unsplash.
Maybe the reason why people don’t pray, and think praying is no use, is that they go by results. They see their relationship with God from their own point of view and only consider what they can get from it, what good it is to them. They don’t care so much about what they can contribute, what it means to God.
That’s not what saints do. They go by “Seek the kingdom of God and these things shall we given unto you” (Luke 12:31). If people forgot about themselves and believed that we need to *always* pray (Luke 18:1) there would hardly be any tragedies like this to pray after, in the first place.
I agree with everything you said until the last line “there would hardly be any tragedies like this to pray after, in the first place.” I understand where you are coming from: any evil in this world comes from a lack of God. Perhaps I’m misreading your comment, but to me, it reads like the blame for tragedies such as these comes from people not praying enough, which isn’t true. Obviously, if every single person on earth followed God exactly as we are called to do, we wouldn’t see tragedies caused by humans, but we live in a fallen world. Sometimes, even our prayers are answered in such a way that is sad: someone not being healed, for example.
I do appreciate your point that we have the tendency to view our relationship with God based on what *we* get out of it while missing that it should all be about glorifying Him.
Amen. Thank you for sharing this wonderful reflection!
I think the idea of God as a “vending machine” of our desires pretty much sums up the way most of us see Him today… But like you said, prayer will give us the grace to see Him as He really is and to do His will having Heaven in mind.
This topic is always on my mind when something tragic happens. Thank you for this thoughtful reflection!
Thank you for reading!