Prayer is a struggle with God and should be free and urgent, like a sincere dialogue with a friend. Such a prayer changes our hearts because it makes us know better how real God is. Today’s reading from the Book of Exodus points to God’s dialogue with Moses on Mount Sinai, where God wants to punish His people because they have made an idol, a golden calf. Moses urgently prays to the Lord to lead him away from this intention. That prayer is a real struggle with God—the struggle of the leader of the people to save his nation, which is God’s people. Moses speaks freely before the Lord and teaches us how to pray without fear, freely and urgently. Moses is insistent, he is brave. Prayer must also negotiate with God, presenting arguments, emphasized the Holy Father. Moses finally convinces God, and today’s liturgical reading says, “The Lord renounced his purpose and did not commit the destruction he declared to his people».
Who changed here? Mr? I think not! … The one who has changed is Moses, because Moses was convinced that God would have done this, believed that the Lord would have destroyed this people, and seeks in his memory memories of that, how the Lord was good to his people, how he freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them on with promise. With these arguments, he tries to convince God, but in the process, he rediscovers the memory of his people and finds God’s mercy. This Moses, who was afraid, afraid that God would do this thing, finally descends from the mountain with great truth in his heart: Our God is merciful. He knows how to forgive. He withdraws his decision. Furthermore, he is the Father.
Moses knew all this, but this knowledge was more or less obscured. However, he rediscovers it in prayer. This is what prayer causes in us. Prayer changes our hearts. It makes us better understand what our God is like. That is why it is essential to speak with the Lord, but not with empty words, like the Gentiles – says Jesus. No, you have to say realistically: ‚Look, Lord, I have this problem, in my family, with my son, then with this and with that… What should I do? Look, you can’t leave me like this!‘ This is prayer! Does such a prayer require a lot of time? Yes, it takes time.
It is the time needed to get to know God better, just like it is in a relationship with a friend. Because Moses – as the Bible says – spoke to the Lord as a friend speaks to a friend. The Bible says that Moses spoke to the Lord face to face as a friend. Such must be prayer: free, persistent, and presenting reasons. We can also complain a little to the Lord: ‚Well, this is what you promised me, and you didn’t…‘ Just like when we talk to a friend, we open our hearts during this prayer. Moses came down from the mountain internally strengthened: ‚I got to know the Lord better.‘ And with this power that prayer has given him, he continues leading people to the promised land. Prayer strengthens the soul. May the Lord give us all this grace, because prayer is grace. The Holy Spirit is present in every prayer. You cannot pray without the Holy Spirit. He prays in us, changes our hearts, and teaches us to speak to God ‚father‘. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray, as Moses prayed, to negotiate with God, in freedom of spirit, with courage. And may the Holy Spirit, always present in our prayer, guide us on this path.
