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Between Babel and Beast
(America and Empires in Biblical Perspective)
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
We can pray, says Schaller (Asking and Thanking (Concilium), 5-6), only because of the rights of children given us by God: He has “admitted [us] to his presence. It is his will that we should not keep silent before him.”
Thus, “where we venture to turn to God with a request, we also always implicitly give thanks. We recognize the degree to which our prayers are undeserved, and therefore know that without claims or merit on our part we are accepted by God himself, and are filled with his Spirit in which alone we can call on God and ask God in an appropriate way.”
Only when we recognize that every request is also thanks does prayer “become different from a human arrogance, the idea that in a presumptuous and arrogant way we can make God concerned with our petty human life.” This is also what makes prayer different from abject begging: “It is neither presumption nor a failure to heed our creatureliness, but an expression of our worth.”
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm
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