How to Pray for Money
Praying for money is tricky business in Christianity. Money is a corrupter. Major church authorities like St. Jerome --- one of the most powerful authorities in both eastern and western Christendom --- rejects all prayer for money as revealing a mind dedicated to luxury. St. Jerome condemned the wealthy clergy of his day, and even more, saw the sufferings of poverty as a blessing, since they force people to re-evaluate their priorities. However, praying for relief of the needy is legitimate and should be encouraged.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Focus your attention away from yourself at all times. Pray only for the relief of the needy. God will take care of your \needs, but never more so than if you are dedicated to the relief of others.
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2
Read St. Jerome's prayer for relief of the needy. For him, the best prayer was based on Scripture, but, in the cases of praying for money --- or the general relief of the needy --- the focus should be on the Good Samaritan.
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3
Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Scripture, found in the Gospel of St. Luke Chapter 10. The story is well known, but the basic structure fits perfectly in the desire to pray for money, or the more general relief of people in need. In fact, money is used in the story itself.
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4
Meditate on the Gospel of Luke on the Samaritan. A man is traveling on a road, which was dangerous at that time. He is beaten by robbers. The religious authorities, fearing ritual defilement, refuse to help. Other travelers refuse to help. A Samaritan, considered a heretic by the Jews, alone helps him. What is most important is that he takes the beaten man to an inn, symbolized, according to the major church authorities like St. Augustine, as the church itself. The Samaritan gives money to help care for the beaten man. The keeper of the inn then must take it from there.
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5
Focus your attention on the innkeeper in your prayer. He is the real hero of the story while the Samaritan gets all the credit. He must do all the work without any guarantee that the Samaritan --- from a group largely distrusted --- will ever return. The innkeeper is you, it is also the church, of which you are a part. You are to do the work of prayer and assistance to those who need it. Keep the innkeeper in mind always when praying for money. He is your model.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that God really does not need your prayer. You do. God asks for prayer in both the New and the Old Testament so as to keep our minds focused on God and our own needs. God as already taken care of those who need it.
Never become arrogant because you pray for others. You are not holier than others, but have just been given a specific responsibility.
