Dear Spiritual Friend

I do believe in prayer. But I hate the arrogance of the “in the name of our father” that callously and purposely excludes from grace the formative young Jews at a graduation or a football game.

And I fear the negative agression of a prayer circle or seminar full of control freaks. Group goodness is a very tricky thing, like when the group focus is achievement--power for good, hopefully--but still power.

I do not believe that prayer brings us good fortune, or cures illness, or makes our wishes come true, or brings us pleasant surprises, or keeps us from doing drugs, or changes anything external in the world.

I do believe that prayer brings strength and focus and peace, when done in private as Jesus wished--not in well-dressed congregations or chain letters.

This is the grace that gives us heart, and that's quite enough of a miracle. Jesus and me. Mano a mano. He was right about so many things. Our Father, indeed.