Ask any Catholic walking down the street whether they pray, and more likely than not they will respond “yes.” But ask them how they pray, and the answer you will most likely get is something like “I pray before meals.” While it is certainly very good to pray before meals – remember, Jesus himself did this – the life of Christian prayer is meant to be much more than this. We see this call to prayer in two of this Sunday’s scripture readings. The first reading is about the prophet Elijah. In this reading, the Lord tells Elijah that he will be “passing by.” We might expect him to do so in the most cataclysmic and dramatic way. However, he does the opposite. The reading says that a rock-crushing wind swept through, “but the LORD was not in the wind.” Then came an earthquake, “but the LORD was not in the earthquake.” Then a fire, “but the LORD was not in the fire.” Finally, there was a tiny whisper, and upon hearing this Elijah hid his face in his cloak, recognizing the presence of the Lord. In the Gospel, we hear about Jesus, after dismissing the crowds, going “up on the mountain by himself to pray.” It wasn’t until “the fourth watch of the night” (i.e. 3-6am) that Jesus met up with the disciples again. This means that Jesus spent just about the whole night in prayer. Both of these stories remind us that prayer is more than just sending a few words in God’s direction before we eat. It is even more than reciting good and pious memorized prayers. Prayer is a way in which we spend intimate time with God in his sacred presence. The difference between shooting off a fifteen second prayer once or twice a day and the prayer that God really desires from us is like the difference between a text message and a candlelight dinner between spouses. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for many to start praying in this deeper way is not knowing what to say or what to pray about. But again, an analogy with human relationships can help us here. What do best friends talk about when they are sharing from their hearts? What do spouses talk about when their relationship is at its best? They talk about their desires. They talk about what’s in their heart. This is exactly how we should strive to pray. To share our hearts with the Lord, whatever may be in it. Now, of course, we won’t always have something extraordinary to share with the Lord. (Do married couples always have to have something extraordinary to say to each other? Of course not.) But neither should our prayer life always be as dull as long-division. As Jesus says, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish that it were already kindled!” (Lk 12:49).