The True Purpose of Prayer

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and inspiration,
with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored by
Heppa four two one Chapter of North Miami in partnership
with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good afternoon, and welcome to another broadcast of Frankly Speaking.
I am Frank Morangos, your weekly guide to all things Greek,
and for the next thirty minutes, I promised to provide
you with Frank Talk in a lively interview concerning the
influence of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values and faith in
our contemporary culture, to do my part to help make
America Greek again. Last week I shared how horrified I

(00:50):
was to learn the details surrounding the senseless shooting that
occurred at the Annunciation Catholic Church school in Minneapolis, killing
two children and wounding more than a dozen other people.
If you recall, I promised that once my anger subsided,
if that was at all possible, I would provide a
commentary in perhaps some insight about the evil that seems
to be increasing in our society, especially among our youth.

(01:13):
So to day, I want to make good on that
promise by reflecting on the topic of prayer, which seems,
along with gun violence, racism, and neglect, to be at
the forefront of much of the public discourse. I want
to do so by first sharing some information about what
is often referred to as one of the seven Wonders
of the Ancient World, namely the Lighthouse of Alexandria. While

(01:36):
historical evidence does not suggest that the Lighthouse of Alexandria
was directly influenced by Aristotle, by the way, the primary
focus of this year's broadcast of frankly speaking, ancient Greek
architecture does in general reflect Aristotle's broader philosophical values, his
cultural ideals, and more specifically, his emphasis on architectural proportion, symmetry,

(01:58):
and harmony and is broader philosophical pursuit of order and
reason in the world. According to ancient blueprints, the Lighthouse
of Alexandria stood over one hundred meters tall in the
island of Faros in Alexandria, Egypt, simply referred to as
the Pharos. The lighthouse was built during the third century
BC and served as a vital navigational aid for ships

(02:21):
entering the island's harbor. The lighthouse was a towering structure
with three tiered design. It featured a central beacon that
was powered by fire at night and reflected sunlight by
a mirror during the day. Apart from serving as a
military lookout, the lighthouse's primary purpose was to guide ships
into Alexandria's important but sometimes has it as harbor, which

(02:44):
had treacherous reefs and shallows. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was
the first of its kind in a marvel of its time,
visible for many miles away. The lighthouse was gradually destroyed
by a series of earthquakes. The final collapse is believed
to have occurred around the fourth teenth century. I would
suggest that prayer is a powerful lighthouse. It is the pharos. However,

(03:08):
instead of human manipulated luminosity, prayer provides the uncreated light
of divine guidance, hope, safety, and security, especially in times
of crisis. Just as the lighthouse pierces through the darkness
and fog to guide sailors and their ships. Prayer has
been understood throughout the ages as a way to connect
with an eternal light that provides wisdom and direction for

(03:29):
traversing confusing with difficult times as the lighthouse of Alexandria
guided lost ships back to the harbor of safety. Prayer
can help individuals feel a sense of strength and security
that can lead them to the safety of a spiritual port.
Understood properly, that is, prayer is a way to navigate
the storms of life, thereby avoiding the sharp, rocky shores

(03:51):
of societal violence, insolence, prejudice, and despair, all of which
are ultimately rooted in human's sinful nature, and not, as
some whould have us believe, merely a consequence of a
lack of community programs, national financial funding, and or governmental laws.
We can only imagine how many times the lightness of
Alexandria stood tall and firm against fierce storms. As a metaphor,

(04:15):
the lighthouse can easily be compared to the steadfastness of God,
a God who remains constant even when life's circumstances are turbulent, tragic,
and confusing. In the final analysis, purs the act of
anchoring ourselves as well as navigating according to God's unchanging
spiritual truths. Unfortunately, the advent of youth based violence, which

(04:37):
seems to be increasing in our society, suggests that America's
youth need a lighthouse of prayer. This is not simply
my own personal opinion, but a perspective shared by many
people who believe that prayer can provide guidance, strength, and
spiritual connection to God, particularly for teens who are struggling
to navigate the challenges of peer pressure, anxiety, and secular influences.

(05:00):
According to the most recent twenty twenty three twenty four
Religious Landscape study conducted by the Pew Research Center, fewer
than half of Americans that's forty four percent said that
they pray each day. This is a substantial decline from
the first Landscape study that was piloted in two thousand
and seven, when fifty eight percent reported that they prayed

(05:22):
at least once a day. So just listen to several
other key facts concerning prayer. More than four and ten
Americans that's forty four percent report that they pray at
least once a day, and an additional twenty three percent
say that they pray weekly or for a few times
a month. Nearly one third of US adults seldom or

(05:42):
never pray. Overall, Black Americans are more likely to report
praying daily sixty four percent than Hispanics forty seven percent
White's only forty percent in Asians thirty four percent. Also,
women are more likely than men to pray daily fifty
percent versus thirty seven and older Americans are more likely

(06:02):
than younger ones who say they pray once or more
per day. Thirty three percent of US adults often or
always say grace before meals, nineteen percent In prayer groups,
scripture study groups, or religious educational programs, nearly half of
Americans forty eight percent seldom or never say grace or
offer prayers before they eat. According to the Pew Research Center,

(06:28):
most of the decline occurred between twenty fifteen and twenty
twenty one, a period in which the number of praying
adults tumbled from fifty seven percent to forty five The
research suggests that at least two factors help explain our
nation's long term decline in prayer. They say that first,
the share of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated those who

(06:48):
answer a question about their religion by saying that they
are atheists, or they're agnostic, or nothing in particular, has
increased by six percent since twenty fourteen. Sometimes call the
nuns or nons, this group is less inclined than other
Americans towards frequency in prayer. Second, they say that the

(07:09):
self reporting frequency of prayers declined among US adults in
some of the largest religious groups Catholics, Evangelical and mainline Protestants.
While I agree with the Pew's Studies conclusions, I would
respectfully suggest that there is a third contributing factor, namely
a misunderstanding of the purpose and nature of prayer. It

(07:30):
only takes a casual reading of most popular articles to
see that most pundits reduce prayer to a transactional activity.
God is characterized as a magician, a financier, community activist,
a genie, or at best, a divine butler that simply
supplies a petitioner's request. Understood in such a flawed fashioned,

(07:52):
prayer simply used to ring a service bell or to
rub a Laddin's lamp. At its core, prayer seeks to
humbly conformed to God's divine will and not to bribe
or coerce God to obey our own. It seems to
foster a deeper connection with our heavenly Father and creator,
and not a personal guru or a steward. A correct

(08:13):
understanding of prayer can set us free from the illusion
that we have a formula for controlling God, a dangerous
illusion that often leads to disillusionment. I believe that this,
in the end, is the primary reason why the frequency
of prayers declined. When such transactional prayer requests are go unanswered,
many give up and unfortunately stop praying altogether. Reimagined as

(08:36):
a lighthouse and not a bank of pharmacy or a warehouse,
prayer can help our nation's youth develop a stronger faith
and a healthier understanding of their identities. It can help
them make better choices and navigate the complexities of adolescence,
such as societal media pressures and academic stress. Per can
provide strength to overcome challenges, build resilience, and offer comfort

(09:00):
in times of difficulty. Prayer is not a last resort,
but should be understood as a first impulse. But unfortunately,
many are bred to believe that prayer is an easy
way out. Prayer is not an easy way out. Quite
the contrary, Many of us pray no more than we
do because it is too hard. We give up quickly

(09:20):
because we become weary and worn out. Our faith muscles
are weak and not up to the rigors of praying.
Remember what the disciples of Jesus did when he asked
them to wait and remain vigilant while he prayed in
the garden of Gittsemine. They who fiercely pledged their loyalties
to him, They who claimed ready to die for him,

(09:40):
fell asleep. We are honest most of us would do
the same. In fact, human nature, being what it is,
makes prayer one of the hardest things to do and
to understand. Like the disciples, who could not have asked
for anything, we too need to bend the knee and
to humbly ask God to teach us how to pray.
As a result, we will learn that it requires big faith,

(10:03):
but a small ego, a nego so small that it
needs God and knows it. This, in the end, is
something we are slow to acknowledge, But once we discover
the guiding light of prayer, we can begin to safely
navigate the crags and shallows of life towards the harbor
of God's presence. From our nation's birth, prayer was universally

(10:23):
understood as the foundation stone of a safe and vigorous
society and for the nurture of its youth. But tragically
it seems that today, many are inclined to let the
fatos of prayer collapse under the earthquake tremors of rebellion. Unfortunately,
they seek the ruin of established norms of decency, a
redefinition of gender, marriage, and other foundational truths of our

(10:46):
nation's founders. They seek to establish a culture that rejects
and often demonizes anyone that takes a strong stand for
these and other traditional moral values. If we truly desire
to make America great again, then we can't afford to
forget the vital role that prayer played in our history.
Making America's foundation strong again must surely involve reasserting the

(11:10):
place of prayer in our nation's affairs and most especially
in our schools. When we return, I will be speaking
with Tim Sotis, a dear friend calling in from Kansas City.
I look forward to speaking with him about the influence
of prayer on his personal as well as professional life.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
We thank THEA four twenty one North Miami Chapter for
their sponsorship of Frankly speaking, They promote the ancient Hellenic
ideas of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family, and individual excellence.
Through community service and volunteerism. They offer scholarships annually to
support students seeking higher education. I have supports other organizations,

(11:51):
including the Saint Basol Academy in New York, iocc hurricane
relief efforts, and the local Annunciation GOOC. If you're interested
and donating to help support these efforts, email a Hepa
four twenty one, Northmiami at gmail dot com.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
Well, welcome back to frankly speaking. Apart from introducing the
greater public to the rich history, the culture and faith
heritage of the ancient Greeks, and to discuss how that
history may provide some insight to us today, the show
also includes an interview with a noted Greek philanthropist or
a successful entrepreneur, local personality or international personality. And today

(12:32):
I am thrilled to welcome Tim Sotis. He is a
longtime friend of mine. He was the past chairman of
the board of trustees of a Pumpich Atlantic University and
many other things that I hope that we can get into.
But the main reason why I invited him is because
he ties in perfectly with my monologue about prayer, because

(12:53):
I believe that he is a man of deep prayer
and convictions. So Tim, welcome to frankly speaking.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Thanks for asking me, Frank, I look forward to chatting
with you for a few minutes.

Speaker 2 (13:05):
Oh my god, we could speak for hours about your
life because you've done so much over time. I know
that you've led the men's Bible Study in Palm Beach
many many times. That actually heard you. By the way,
how long has that Bible study been in existence?

Speaker 4 (13:21):
That Bible Study started in Palm Beach over fifty years ago.
And we have one hundred men on average come each week,
and we also have men dial in via zoom and
that's another forty to fifty men. The ministry continues to
just grow and expand, and men are being fed and

(13:45):
help being helped in their walk of faith. Yeah, and
it's a joy to be part of it.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
I enjoy going to it myself. I am impressed and
really inspired by the kind of people that attend.

Speaker 4 (13:57):
That.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
It's all men, obviously, some very professional, some have retired,
some are younger, you know, and one individual is chosen
and that individual leads the Bible study. But it's also
a gathering of people who believe in deep prayer, wouldn't
you say so?

Speaker 4 (14:17):
Yes, we open and close our sessions with prayer. We
are called to pray daily and whether you're at home,
or you're at Bible study, or even privately, wherever you
are during the day, we are called to prayer.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
Can you describe a time when prayer was answered by
the group?

Speaker 4 (14:44):
Yes, there have been numerous times. And what we have
at the group is in the morning, after the opening prayer,
we ask for prayer requests and men either online or
in person, would raise their hand and prayer requests would

(15:07):
would range anywhere from concerns about their marriage, concerns about
their health, about their children, about their place of employment,
ranging anywhere from someone being recently terminated to someone starting
a new job, and the facilitator of the group will

(15:31):
write these requests down on a piece of paper and then,
after sharing however many men it could be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
men will will ask for a praier request. The facilitator
will then lead the group in praying specifically for each
praier request, and the prayers have been answered, and I've

(15:59):
witnessed prayers being answered.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
In my monologue, tim I mentioned how we need to
be careful of transactional praying, where you know, we turn
God into a guru or a butler. You know, we
ring the bell and he's got to come and deliver,
you know, what we want. So I've been impressed of
the depth of the prayer of the group that seeks,

(16:23):
you know, the guidance of God. It doesn't try to
force God to abide by our will, but to abide
by His will. And that's like I said, it's quite
refreshing to see.

Speaker 4 (16:34):
That, Yes, we we lay lay the prayer request on
the altar, and it's God's choice how to answer it.
And many times it may be the answer we want.
It's the answer He's given us, and we have to

(16:56):
be mature enough to recognize that. That's the hardest thing,
especially for a new Christian who may not understand the
concept of prayer from the Bible. Our prayers need to
be consistent and submissive to God's will in our lives,

(17:18):
and that's a hard thing to swallow. But the blessing
is when you reach that level of maturity, you let
it go and you learn to accept what God answers.
And sometimes there is no answer because it's not time
for an answer.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
The answer very difficult. Oh, yes, of course exactly. It's
interesting And I mentioned in my monologue how the disciples
could have asked for anything, and the thing that they
asked was for Jesus to teach them how to pray.
So it's not an easy thing and it's something that
that's why I'm very happy to have you on because
I know that you and your wife, Mary Beth are

(17:59):
people of prayer, and that's why I think you got
involved with Palm Beach Atlantic University because it's unapologetical in
its faith, and I'm sure it influenced your faith, influenced
your family owned company as well, if you talk a
little bit about that.

Speaker 4 (18:18):
Well, we were people of faith, and we believe that
faith is an integral part of our lives whatever environment
we're in, whether it we're at home or at a
place of employment, or a place that we may volunteer at,
and that could include even being at a child's sporting event.

(18:41):
I was fortunate and blessed to be involved with Palm
Beach Atlantic University because I was in an environment where
people recognize the power of prayer in their lives. And
we have throughout the university Bible studies for students and

(19:03):
faculty and administration. We have chapel every day of the week,
we have opportunities to submit prayers for prairie requests. As
a matter of fact, the president of the university submits
prairie requests to the Board of Trustees, and the board

(19:24):
of Trustees get these prairie requests on a regular basis,
and we have prayers that we pay for for the
you know, for God's will to be done at the university.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah, it's quite, as I said, quite inspirational. Among other
things that I do. I'm also the senior director of
philanthropic investments for the school, you know, in full transparency
to say that, And I don't think I've been to
any meeting, any administrative meeting at that school where we
did not begin with prayer. So that just tells you.

(19:57):
It shows you that it's the real deal. It's not
something that is just said in words, you know. Frankly speaking,
my radio program talks about the history and the culture
and the faith of the ancient Greeks, and I know
you embody all those, all three of those, we've been
talking about the faith, heritage of Christianity. You know, I'm

(20:20):
really I really enjoyed our conversation that you shared with
me one afternoon about your desire to seek your ancestors.
Talk to us a little bit about that.

Speaker 4 (20:34):
Well, I felt, you know, I needed in my heart
to search for my roots, and you know, I began
a process of trying to identify where they came from.
And I was blessed to actually validate some of the

(20:55):
stories I heard as a young child of where one
of my grandmothers was raised. She died at a young age,
I shortly after giving birth to my father. Though I
didn't I never had the opportunity to talk with her.
But as I got older, I wanted to know more
about her homeland, and I decided that I was going

(21:19):
to try to do an ancestry search, and I did.
I actually enrolled in one of those ancestry dot com programs.
I did get my DNA result. I did track down
exactly where my grandmother was born in Greece, and I

(21:42):
visited that island. And I have to say that when
I first saw the island, I had tears in my eyes.
I had a very very deep spiritual and emotional connection
to that island. I could even feel my grandmother's presence

(22:06):
or spirit on that island. I could envision her walking
on the roads and walking on the pathways, and I
felt that that was a beautiful blessing that God bestowed
on me to have that emotional connection on an island,
even though my grandmother wasn't with me physically. And then

(22:29):
as I got to learn more about the island, I
found that the family, many many, many generations ago, actually
dedicated a church, a small, little tiny chapel on the
island that had been recently renovated, small one room church

(22:52):
that she would see. If you see any pictures of
any Greek islands, you will see these small white chapels
with a blue couple on the top and across on
the center. And that's what this little tiny chapel was
that my family had built, you know, initially hundreds of

(23:14):
years ago. So that was to me as spiritual as
well as an emotional journey.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
Why did you do it? Why did you? Why were
you compelled to seek out your ancestors?

Speaker 4 (23:29):
It was an emptiness on that part of the family
that I didn't know, and I felt a void, and
I wanted to fill that void with knowing my grandmother's
heritage and where she came from. Uh, and that that grandmother,

(23:51):
unbeknownst to me, you know, had a very very strong
impact on my life. And as soon as I landed
on that island and I walked the pathways, I felt
I was walking in the steps of my grandmother. And
I found on the island a tremendous religious and spiritual heritage.

(24:17):
Because the way the island was developed, starting way back
in the thirteenth twelfth, thirteenth century, and even before then,
there were individual chapels built in many many of the
villages and also in many of the estates.

Speaker 2 (24:41):
They are personal chapels in many ways.

Speaker 4 (24:44):
Yeah, personal chapels.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
So, Tim, as we're coming to the end, as we're
coming to the end of the interview, you know, I
wish I could have you on for a whole hour
in the program. If I were to ask you to
share one aspect of your Greek heritage that has influenced
your life, what would it be?

Speaker 4 (25:06):
And I think the family values are very important. Unfortunately,
in this twenty first century, the nucleus family that we
struggle with in the United States and throughout the Western
world is being weakened and we don't have that family
unity we used to have. And I cherish the family

(25:31):
values of my Greek heritage, the bonding of the family.
Whether we agree on everything or not, and many times
we don't. We know in the end we're blood and
we know in the end we have a history, and
we know that when asked to help, we help, and.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
You should do in a variety of different in different
ways in Palm Beach as well as in Kansas City
where you often you know. The goal of frankly speaking,
Tim is to make America Greek again, Maga from a
different point of view, and I thank you very much
for being on it and sharing how your heritages influenced

(26:15):
your life. God bless you, and please give my warmest
regards to your wife, Marybeth.

Speaker 4 (26:20):
Thank you, Frank, I have a wonderful blessed day. By
now you.

Speaker 2 (26:23):
Too, Bye bye. Thank you for joining me this afternoon,
and Frankly speaking, before concluding today's broadcast, I want to
briefly discuss the etymology of the English word fatos. As
I mentioned in my monologue, the word fatos is the
ancient Greek term for a lighthouse. The word itself comes
from the name of the ancient island of Faros, on
which the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven

(26:45):
Wonders of the ancient world was built. Over the centuries,
the word spread into many other languages, being a common
root word for lighthouse in various cultures, including French, Italian, Spanish.
It's used. Apart from its reference to the lighthouse of Alexandria,
the word photos is also figuratively used to denote a

(27:05):
guiding light. There are many other English words that are
based on the Greek word. The most direct ones relate
to lighthouses or the study of them. Pharaology the science
or study of lighthouses, Pharologist a person who studies or
is enthusiastic about lighthouses, and finally, pharophile an enthusiast or

(27:26):
lover of lighthouses. So, as mister Portocalos insists in my
big fat Greek wedding, there you go. Give me any
word and I will show you its Greek root. Thank
you for joining me today on Frankly Speaking, a show
that seeks to provide frank talk in a lively interview
about the influence of ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith
on our contemporary culture to help make America Greek again.

(27:49):
If you would like to share a question or suggest
a future guest or topic, I would love to hear
from you at Frank Frank Talk Radio six