Roberta Bondi — What is Prayer and How to Begin

Prayer functions as an ongoing, honest relationship with God rather than a performance of piety or a set of rigid requirements. Drawing from the wisdom of the third-century desert fathers and mothers, Roberta Bondi, Professor Emeritus of Church History at Emory University, emphasizes that prayer is as natural as breathing and requires no specific "right way" to practice. Personal struggles—such as anxiety about human relationships or feelings of inadequacy—often serve as catalysts for beginning a prayer practice. Rather than demanding constant, intense focus, prayer involves simply showing up, even amidst mundane daily life or during periods of internal resistance and doubt. Wrestling with God, much like the biblical account of Jacob, allows individuals to confront their deepest wounds and eventually find healing, transforming prayer from a tranquil ideal into a necessary, often difficult, practice of truth-telling.