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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Kickoff for homeless card project slated for Friday ... Former owner of Little Caesars in Ashland acquitted in arson trial ... Ashland police chief works on untangling assumptions from deductions ... Kickoff for homeless card project slated for Friday ... Former owner of Little Caesars in Ashland acquitted in arson trial ... Ashland police chief works on untangling assumptions from deductions ... MOCHAS, MIDRASH, AND MYSTERIES Mochas, Midrash, and Mysteries: Prayer is conversation Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted May. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Rabbi Joshua Boettiger (Temple Emek Shalom) and I practice “chavruta,” which is an ancient and contemporary learning partnership through conversation that's based on sacred texts. Rabbi Joshua and I have chosen "On Heaven and Earth," which recounts the dialogues between Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis), as our core partnership text. (We consider the whole of life our dialogue “text.”) Rabbi Joshua and I are currently in conversation about prayer, using chapter 7 of "On Heaven and Earth" as our starting point. Rabbi Skorka calls prayer a conversation with G-d. Prayer is to our relationship with our Divine Source (“G-d”) what conversation is to our most intimate human relationships. Like water for a plant, it's a condition for growth. “An act of profound introspection” For conversation to be truthful and authentic, prayer must start with what Skorka calls “an act of profound introspection.” We must heed our still, small voice within, and know who we are. From inner silence, honest and loving words can arise. St. Francis of Assisi started each day with two questions: “Lord, who are you? Who am I?” Francis, known as “il Poverello” (the Poor One), strove to realize a fundamental truth — that G-d is infinite Ground of Being; we are “contingent” or created beings. We rely on G-d for every breath we take and for all of the gifts of nature that sustain us. Rabbi Joshua explained to me that the Hebrew word for prayer is “l'hitpalel,” which means to “judge oneself.” This is not to be understood as being judgmental (negative assessment) towards oneself, but to know oneself truthfully. Rabbi Skorka and Cardinal Bergoglio identify this basic dissimilarity between the person as pray-er and G-d, the Person to whom one directs one's prayer. This realization engenders a true and right “awe” in the presence of the divine — not a fear that alienates one being (the pray-er) from the Other Being (the One prayed to). We really can communicate with our Divine Source. We can be in relationship — me in my poverty, G-d in all fullness of being. Haggling with G-d From a “reverent silence” (Cardinal Bergoglio), we can enter into a heart-to-heart dialogue with G-d — even making bold to “haggle” with G-d as the great Abraham and Moses did on behalf of their people. Think of a human relationship in which you experience deep, abiding, unshakable trust. It's OK to disagree, to wrestle intellectually and verbally, right? Abraham and Moses showed us that this can be the case in our conversation with G-d. We are empowered through love and trust to speak our heart's truth, and to “contend” with a Being so vastly greater (in power, wisdom, goodness) than we. Love unites the lovers Mystics of all times and places have understood and insisted that love unites the lovers, and that the ultimate effect of deep, contemplative prayer is a union of being, of hearts between G-d and the person. Viktor Frankl, who survived a concentration camp during the Holocaust and went on to found “Logotherapy,” described the essential quality needed for two people to “grasp” each other. "Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him." — From "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," "Man's Search for Meaning." Love defines our relationship with G-d. Keeping this love fresh and dynamic requires regular conversation. In a word, prayer. Daniel Murphy promotes human flourishing through Integrity of Life Services LLC, and is a member of Our Lady of the Mountain Catholic Church in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted May. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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