Phenomenology of Prayer #1

In Ch. 4 of Phenomenology of Prayer, the author writes on prayer as kenosis. He points to Jesus Christ as the primary example of kenosis in prayer. He writes, "If we make Christ the paradigm of this relation to the sacred, then the relation involves both self-emptying and receptivity. Thus, to engage in the prayer that brings one into such a relation with the sacred is to empty oneself so as to provide a space for the divine in the form of the Holy Spirit to appear" (68). Christ was able to fully participate in the act of kenosis and a result of this kenosis was His ability to be filled with the Spirit. In the Christian life, we are given easy directions on how to commune with God and it is all carried out perfectly in the life of Jesus. As Christians, we are able to see that Jesus could only commune with God because he completely emptied Himself. As believers, we should follow suit and seek to step completely outside of our egos when we commune with God.

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