Risen Jesus Changed Everything, Even Prayer

By Frank A. Squitteri

The people in the Gospel stories had a great advantage over us when it comes to prayer. Jesus was present to them as a person, whom they could see and touch. The Jesus we know through the Scriptures no longer exists. Only the Risen Christ exists. This leads us to two questions: First, in light of the Resurrection, to whom do we pray? Second, what is the place of the historical Jesus in our prayer life?
Fr. William Johnston, SJ. in an introduction to The Cloud of Unknowing answers our first question in this way: “Now the Christian, following St. Paul, does not pray just to a historical figure but to the now existing risen Christ who contains in himself all the experience of his historical existence in a transformed way, as he indicated by showing his wounds to his disciples.” So, the object of our prayer is clearly the Risen Christ.
In response to the second question about the place of the historical Jesus in our prayer life, Fr. Johnston states that the problem is that “Christian theology, following the New Testament, situates the historical Jesus at the very heart of prayer—Christ the man, the Incarnate Word.” We are comfortable with the historical Jesus. We can have thoughts and ideas and images of Jesus through his life events. We can have no adequate picture of the Risen Christ. How then do we make our prayer Christocentric and at the same time relate to the Risen Christ?
The Jesus Process. The results of Jesus’ Resurrection as the Jesus Process. First, let us revisit that concept and then explore its relevance to our prayer life. Jesus’ lived experience on earth is the core element driving the Jesus Process. Christ, as the Risen Jesus, no longer limited by time or geography, transforms Jesus’ historical experience into a power source, present here and now in the 21st Century. Out of this power source, the Risen Christ gifts us with his Spirit who empowers us to carry on Jesus’ ongoing Incarnation in us and manifest his powers for others. Seeing the historical Jesus as the catalyst of the Process enables us to make our prayer Christocentric and at the same time enables us to embrace the imageless Risen Jesus and Spirit.
Prayer with Words— When we say prayers of petition, thanksgiving or adoration, let us begin by praying the Jesus Process. Let us unite with the human experiences of Jesus, such as Jesus going off to the mountains to pray. Remembering that Jesus is the catalyst of the Jesus Process, let us ask Jesus to lead us to the Risen Christ present in our midst, and let us ask the Risen Christ to gift us with the Spirit. We then pray to the Spirit to aid us. Now the Risen Christ loves our prayers with words, but there is a better way.
Praying without Words— Contemplation such as in centering prayer is a wordless, imageless way of prayer that enables us to seek union with the Risen Christ who is imageless. So, it is a very appropriate form of prayer to the Risen Christ. Remember too that when we pray with words, we are in control; we are asking for what we want. How-ever, in prayer without words, we let the Risen Christ take control and lead us to what he desires for us—ultimately to manifest increasingly the Christ who is incarnate in us.

An important aspect of centering prayer is our intentionality. Here we attempt to establish beforehand our desire to surrender to the Risen Christ’s mysterious presence. Praying the Jesus Process prepares us for centering prayer. We call upon the historical Jesus to act as the catalyst to lead us to the Risen Christ who gifts us with his Spirit who empowers us to lose ourselves in desire for union with the Risen Christ. This experience of union leads us to be transformed into persons who carry on Jesus’ ongoing Incarnation by being sacraments of peace, healing and forgiveness for others, by being compassion and communion to others, and by being channels of faith, hope and love for others.