Kayla Sawyer - Prayer in the Phenomenology of Prayer

 I have always been interested in an explanation of the meaning behind prayer. After reading the Phenomenology of Prayer, I found a really great quote explaining what we should pray for and why.

"Given the above sense of the divine, the prayer that opens us up to the sacred is not a function of the earthly economy. Still, less is it an expression of mimetic violence. It is, rather, an imitation of the divine and in its action of kenosis. Engaging in it, we empty ourselves and open ourselves to the other. In this very action, we open a space for the divine in its creative action. The sense of this self-opening can be put in terms of our praying for another and for ourselves. In praying for the other, I do not compete with him, but rather, give way."

I really like this quote because it describes how prayer is a reflection of kenosis, or self-emptying. It is almost an act of giving and love towards God and the divine, and I like the way that it describes prayer. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it takes up the meaning of prayer and describes the significance behind it. The novel analyzes religious life and a love for God and the divine.