I love these reflections on prayer from Pádraig Ó Tuama in his Poetry Unbound episode “Ernesto Cardenal – Give Ear To My Words”.
I’ve enjoyed his podcast for some time now, and I don’t think I realised how much of a theologian he is – I have a lot of respect for the way he uses poetry to engage with the world, and hearing him put words to parts of a life of faith is beautiful.
I am not convinced that everyone who prays has a clear understanding of the direction their prayer goes to. Perhaps all they know is that the prayer is coming from the deepest yearning of their own self – their heart. And I think that’s enough. If it’s not I’m screwed. Certainly I’ve moved further and further from the idea that I can say anything about the direction of our prayer. All we can hint at and wonder at and marvel at is the fact that in every culture we’ve had something like prayer emerge. Some way within which language and art and public ritual gather around the desire of people for increased safety, for increased community, for increased public flourishing… whether I do or don’t believe, what I certainly do, is want.
Pádraig Ó Tuama
One of things that’s been important to me when it comes to the question of God is recognising that for me belief is the least interesting question. I’m not that interested in if I believe in God, the question for me is do I experience yearning. A need for some way to put my desire into language, and that, I think, is called prayer. Prayer is something that arises from the core of me, sometimes again my other instincts, and links me with something that is guiding and true. And that is what so many of us are doing.
Pádraig Ó Tuama
The short podcast episode also gives some of the life story of Ernesto Cardenal, the poet who wrote “Give Ear To My Words” that the episode is about. I’ve quoted sections of his “The Gospel in Solentiname” before – and want to read the full book – so it’s interesting to learn more about him.