Friendship in Prayer

I have two things to say about prayer and friendship.

First:

C.S. Lewis wrote the following in a chapter on Friendship:

"Lamb says somewhere that if, of three friends (A, B and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but 'A's part in C,' while C loses not only A but 'A's part in B.'  In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.  By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets.  Now that Charels is dead; I shall never again see Ronald's reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him 'to myself' now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald.  Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves.  Two friends delight ot be joined by a third and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend.  They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante,' Here comes one who will augment our loves.' For this love 'to divide is not to take away.' . . . We possess each friend not less but more as the number of those with whom we share him increases.  In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious 'nearness by resemblance' to Heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed . . . increases the fruition which each has of God.  For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest.  That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision are crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to one another (v. 6:3).  The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have."

One's personal times of prayer are well to be commended.  Both from the pulpit and devotional writings, the benefit and necessity of the prayer closet are highlighted - indeed our Lord Himself shows the Father's delight in this practice (Matt. 6:5-6).  Private prayers reveal to us the intimacy with Christ that we may have forgotten throughout the day.  It allows us to disclose and expose the contents of that private, inner chamber which only the two of us see (thoughts, desires, pains, joys).  But there is something wonderful, too, about corporate prayer.

Corporate prayer allows a different sort of intimacy - that of allowing Christ to reveal more of Himself.  When I pray alone, I see Christ as I see Christ, but when I pray with you, we get glimpses of Christ through each other's eyes.  Perhaps this is a small part of what our Savior meant when He pledged to be "among us" when we gather "in His Name."

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Second:

Our friend, CS, surfaced the difference between friendship love and romantic love through a distinction of focusing.  In romance, the pair faces each other in transfixion - each gazing into the other's soul - one gets the picture of deep and intimate knowing.  Friends stand shoulder to shoulder, having a common gaze, but of a different sort than that of the lovers for, while the latter shares a common causeway of vision (i.e., that of looking along the same corridor into the other's eyes), the former has a common object of sight.  The friends aren't necessarily drawn to one another because of an appreciation of the intricacies of the other's soul (though the quality of the soul is doubtlessly an essential component), but out of mutual appreciation for something other than themselves.

This is why a group of friends can be so diverse - the main requirement for membership hasn't been a demographic of the past or of circumstances, but a demographic of desire.  And, perhaps, this too gives us some insight into why we find praying together to often bond us - we come together because we mutually desire Christ and, in traversing the same road towards Him, those that travel alongside us become valued companions.

Thus, I think our Lord and His friend, C.S. Lewis, commend praying together to us all, for it is in such activity that we get more of Him and He gives us more of each other.