Prayer as Kenosis

In this chapter the author seems to argue that prayer can be caught in the "mimetic violence". This can also lead us to what not only we desire, but also what we compete with in violent ways to get the desired object. The author also goes into detail about when we do the action of praying, we need to make room for the sacred as well. In the reading I also understood that self-emptying is a form of reciprocity. To be able to understand self-emptying, we can look for examples in the Bible. The author gives us two examples in the Bible, "The first is "empty waste" that existed before creation". "The second is the creative breath, the ruah or "spirit of God," that hovers over it".  Overall, what I have gained from this chapter is that if I practice prayer as kenosis the mimetic actions that I have can be undone, Also by practicing self emptying into my prayers I can become closer with God.

Benson, Bruce Ellis, and Norman Wirzba. The Phenomenology of Prayer. Fordham University Press, 2005


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