"Jesus leaves little doubt about the meaning of prayer when he says: 'Apart from me you can do nothing; those who dwell in me as I dwell in them, bear much fruit' (John 15:5). Dwelling in Jesus is what prayer is all about.
Life becomes an unbearable burden whenever we lose touch with the presence of a loving Savior and see only hunger to be alleviated, injustice to be addressed, violence to be overcome, wars to be stopped, and loneliness to be removed. All these are critical issues, and Christians must try to solve them; however, when our concern no longer flows from our personal encounter with the living Christ, we feel oppressive weight.
Most of us try to get out from underneath by saying: 'I have enough problems in keeping my own family and work going. Please do not burden me with the problems of the world. They only make me feel guilty and remind me of my powerlessness.' We no longer participate in the full human reality, choosing instead to isolate ourselves in that corner of the world where we feel relatively safe. We may still say our prayers, but we have forgotten that true prayer embraces the whole world, not just the small part where we live."
--Henri Nouwen, "Prayer Embraces the World" in the anthology, "The Only Necessary Thing," 34-35.
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