Reflection for August 5

Watch and Pray
Prayer is the ground of Christian faith and a test of theology, says Jürgen Moltmann. We can’t say things to others about God that we haven’t already said to God in prayer. In prayer, Moltmann says, we see the world with the eyes of God. But the biblical command is not to pray but to watch: “To pray means to open one’s eyes and watch what is happening, what is coming, the dangers and the opportunities.” Images in the catacombs show that the early Christians prayed with open hands and open eyes (Christian Century, June 27, 2012).