The Heart’s Deepest Longing: Understanding Our Innate Desire to Pray
Ever since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by humanity’s inner desire to find meaning in everything around us. Throughout history, we have no record of any civilization, culture, or belief system that didn’t believe in an afterlife or maintain some structured form of religion—all in an effort to find meaning in life’s events.
This desire seems almost ingrained in our nature: to lift our fists to the heavens and cry “Why?” when we suffer, or to be moved when we experience sublime beauty that escapes our understanding. We possess this almost innate, natural desire to pray.
The Universal Longing for the Divine
The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses this beautifully in Latin: “Desiderium Dei“—the desire for God is inscribed in the hearts of every person. This desire to find meaning, to connect with the sublime and transcendent, is what we call prayer.
G.K. Chesterton once said, “Every man who walks into a brothel is looking for God.” This profound statement reveals how even our misdirected searches point to our fundamental desire to connect with the divine.
The Call to Perseverance in Prayer
Today’s liturgical readings offer us a powerful reflection on prayer. In the first reading, we see Moses persevering in prayer—when he lifted his hands, the Jewish people would win the battle against Amalech, but when he grew tired and lowered them, they would start losing. His companions had to help him continue praying.
Similarly, in the Gospel, we encounter the widow seeking justice from the unjust judge. Through her perseverance, she received justice. Paul, in the second reading, calls us to persevere whether it’s convenient or inconvenient.
Perseverance is the most critical piece in prayer. Sometimes we don’t persevere like Moses—we grow weary and tired. We wonder: “Is God listening to me? Is there anybody out there?” Sometimes, contrary to Paul’s words, we pray only when it’s convenient. And some people pray only when they feel like praying. If that describes you or me, perhaps our feelings have become our god.
We’re called to persevere, whether convenient or inconvenient. This great capacity we have to communicate with God has always fascinated me—how the God who created cosmic planetary motions of galaxies and subatomic particles has an interest in you. He does. This is one of the great mysteries the Lord reveals to us.
Jesus: The Perfect Model of Prayer
When the apostles observed Jesus praying, they witnessed something in his prayer life and internal spiritual movement that made them say, “Lord, teach us to pray like you pray.” What must they have seen in how Jesus prayed that stirred such longing in their hearts?
The Lord responds with instructions that point us inward: “When you want to pray, go into your inner room, close the door.” He tells us that when we come into ourselves, we’ll find a presence deeper than our eyes can see—a presence who abides in secret, waiting to be unveiled. That presence, the Lord tells us, is Father.
“Pray to your father who abides in the secret, and your father who abides in the secret will hear you.”
The Heart: Our Meeting Place with God
The Catechism explains this beautifully:
“The heart is the dwelling place where I am, where I live. According to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place to which I withdraw. The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others. Only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our own psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is a place of encounter, because as image of God, we live in relation. The heart is the place of the covenant.”
This is the precise place where the infinite and personal touch, what we call prayer.
Three Forms of Prayer
There are different forms of prayer that can deepen our relationship with God:
1. Vocal Prayer
This includes prayers like the Holy Rosary and participation in Holy Mass—prayers that engage our voice and external expression.
2. Meditative Prayer
This involves talking to God, but more importantly, learning to listen to Him when He speaks beyond logic, beyond thoughts, even beyond feelings. The art of listening in prayer is often more transformative than speaking.
3. Contemplative Prayer
This is prayer that needs no words, thoughts, or even articulation of emotions. It’s simply knowing, being. British poet D.H. Lawrence beautifully captured this moment of belonging in God’s presence:
“All that matters is to be at one with the living God. To be a creature in the house of the God of life, like a cat asleep on a chair, at peace, in peace, and at one with the master of the house… feeling the presence of the living God, like a great reassurance, a deep calm in the heart.”
The Four Types of Prayer: ACTS
Beyond different forms, there are also distinct types of prayer. I’ve suggested the acronym ACTS:
- Adoration
- Contrition
- Thanksgiving
- Supplication
Too often we focus primarily on supplication—”God give me this, Lord give me that, I need this, I need that”—while neglecting thanksgiving and especially adoration.
When was the last time your heart was elevated to simply say, “Father, you are great. Lord, your mercy endures forever. Lord, you are the object of my desires. You are what I’m truly looking for and longing for. Thank you for just being good”?
Every Desire Points to God
If we have this innate desire to find God, it’s probably because every desire is ultimately geared toward God. Think about it: your desire for love, truth, goodness, beauty that doesn’t decay, your desire to be fully whole—aren’t these all desires for God? He is the one who is truth itself, goodness and beauty itself.
This is why we pray with all our senses when we come to Mass: through sacred art (sight), singing and hearing (sound), incense (smell), and tasting the Body and drinking the Blood of our Lord. Our bodies even pray in different positions—standing to receive the Word, sitting to reflect on it, kneeling to adore, and throughout the year, prostrating ourselves in humility.
The Power to Call God “Abba”
The most powerful capacity given to us in baptism is the power to call God “Abba”—the power to pray, to connect with that presence we call Father, as the Lord revealed Him to us. Not only that, but the Lord revealed himself as the way to the Father.The Son of God reveals the face of God as Father, and He also reveals us to ourselves.
As one modern theologian beautifully expresses: “It is a beautiful thing to stake our own existence on who He is—who is not only the truth in person, not only the greatest good, but the only one who reveals to us the divine beauty for which our hearts have a profound longing and intense need.”
That divine beauty for which we long is the object of our deeper desires, the one whom we truly seek when we find the lesser loves in this life.
A Prayer for Growth
Let us pray for perseverance in our prayer, that we may learn to pray always, following Jesus’s example to go into our inner room and through Him find the face of our Father. Let us pray for increased courage to adore, express contrition, offer thanksgiving, and present our supplications.
The journey inward to the heart, where God awaits us, is the most important journey we will ever take. In that sacred space, we discover not only who God is, but who we truly are in His eyes.
St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, pray for us.
For more reflections on deepening your spiritual life, explore resources for prayer and meditation or read about overcoming common obstacles to prayer.
