What I’m Reading: ‘The Need and the Blessing of Prayer’

Given that our college plans to spend nearly $200 million on capital projects over the next five years, while remaining committed to an admissions policy that is both need-blind and meets full need, I decided I had better become better at praying. To that end, I am reading The Need and the Blessing of Prayer, by the late Rev. Karl Rahner. The book has been a revelation in ways I didn’t expect.

Father Rahner acknowledged that it is not easy to pray. To do so successfully, we must realize that much of what we seek is finite and meaningless. To open our hearts to God, he wrote, we must confront the doubts that cloud them.

As I read, I began to reflect more deeply on the things that will truly add to our students’ educational experience and not only to their comfort or enjoyment. Facing my own doubts led me to consider what is at the heart of our institution.

Father Rahner believed that praying is recognizing, in each moment of our lives, how close we are to the mystery we call God. For me, praying encompasses exploring, evaluating, and embracing everything that may be concealed in or exploding out of the moments of my days and our students’ days. Prayer guides me toward ways to enrich those moments.