Prayer, Free Will, and Marcus Aurelius

We’re often told to wish upon our lucky star. We might do this by looking up at the sky or praying to some divine being. However, according to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, this is pointless. He writes in his famous Meditations: 

“Either the gods have power or they do not. Now, if they have no power, why pray? If they do not have power, why not pray for their gift of freedom from all worldly fear, desire, or regret, rather than the presence or absence of this or that? Certainly, if the gods can cooperate with men, they can cooperate to these ends. But you might say, the gods have put these things in my own power. Is it not then better to use your own power in freedom rather than show a servile and supine concern for what you cannot control? And who told you the gods do not help us even to the ends which lie within our own power?” 

If you haven’t read Meditations, I encourage you to do so. Its Stoic wisdom combined with a glimpse into the life of the second century’s most powerful man is incredible. For me, the quote above is the highlight of the book. I understand it means that prayers are not merely requests to fulfill our desires. When Aurelius writes, “Why not pray for their [the gods’] gift of freedom from all worldly fear, desire, or regret, rather than the presence of this or that,” I take it to say that we shouldn’t wish for our desires to be fulfilled but instead pray for the attributes necessary to fulfill those desires. Aurelius gives an example of someone who wants to get rid of their enemy, and that person prays for their enemy’s downfall. However, that person should instead pray to lose the impulse to get rid of their enemy, ultimately taming the mind. (If that sounds surprisingly Buddhist, you aren’t wrong!)

Aurelius questions why someone should pray in the first place since it’s debatable whether the gods have power. From the Catholic perspective, there is only one true and almighty God, which some people take to mean that God can fulfill any of our desires if we pray hard enough. I do not dismiss that God can perform miracles. Although, God gave humans free will that is distinct from requested divine intervention. This point is beautifully portrayed in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. Arguably the most famous chapter, in not just the Karamazov but literature itself, The Grand Inquisitor tells a story about a Catholic Cardinal during the Inquisition who indignantly questions Jesus who visits him. The Cardinal questions why Jesus gave humans free will, as free will leads to sin. After the Cardinal’s tense monologue, throughout which Christ remains silent, Jesus kisses the man and the story ends. I take this to mean that God gave humans free will as an act of compassion. If everything was a divinely orchestrated utopia, then life would lack the satisfaction gained from overcoming challenges. 

In the case of what is presented in Meditations and Brothers Karamazov, we must use free will wisely. We must not pray for the end desire but rather the means to achieve that desire. The past few months I spent teaching English at a Jesuit school in remote Nepal reflected this idea. Nepalis suffer from a lack of career opportunities, which is the driving factor for kids to work abroad and send money back to their families. The mission of the Jesuits in the region is to give children a good education and inspire them to create change in their community, building a better Nepal that isn’t reliant on foreign income. The Jesuits I worked with know that this cannot happen overnight. Father Arun Pradhan, S.J. stressed the Jesuit ideal of Magis, which means striving for excellence. Everyday, he encouraged me to give 110% to my work. Change will happen over time if we do this. It is the same with our prayers. Our goals seem less distant by praying for the qualities that will help us tomorrow. 

With the Jesuits and Sisters at St. Xavier's Siraha's first annual program

*The source used for Meditations was published by Penguin Classics and translated by Martin Hammond. The above quote can be found in Book Nine.