A Flight from Reality

I am really enjoying the Catechism in a Year mailing list. It is showing me just how good the YouCat is. Even though it is aimed towards youth, don't think that it is shallow. On the contrary, the youth often ask the most difficult questions, and this book takes such questions very seriously, answering them with depth while still remaining accessible. I think they need to create a version for adults that has the same text but in a more adult-looking format.

I really liked this question, but it is just one from many great questions on prayer.

Isn't praying a flight from reality?

Someone who prays does not flee from reality; rather, he opens his eyes for reality as a whole. From Almighty God himself he receives the strength to cope with reality. Prayer is like going to a gas station where we get free fuel for our long journeys and extreme challenges. Praying does not lead out of reality but, rather, deeper into it. Praying does not take time away from other things but, rather, doubles the remaining time and fills it with intrinsic meaning.

People today really do tend to think that prayer is somehow detached from "real life". I love this idea that it is actually connecting to the deeper reality that we usually don't see in our daily life. It reminds me of C. S. Lewis' picture of heaven in The Great Divorce as being more solid than our current existence. It also makes me think of Plato's Cave analogy.

If we believe that there is a God, then he is the source of reality, not to mention ruler of the universe, then time spent seeking him is never a waste. Now I need to get off of the computer and do some praying.