We may race through a familiar prayer with our mind only intermittently engaged, like my father as a child, anticipating his stickball game. Or, there may be times when we find ourselves profoundly uplifted, sometimes at the most unexpected moments. Our prayers, like our lists, reflect our limitations but thus also our humanity. As a child I sometimes imagined our Creator during those first seven days, with a scroll of paper and a pen, scribbling down all the names of plants and animals which needed to be brought into being. I believe the world was imagined first and then brought into existence with words.
Prayer is also an expression of hope.
At this time of year, we experience much of the ritualized repetition to which Eric turned. The Jewish year is itself cyclical. The High Holiday prayers are also repetitive-and, I might add, replete with lists. I think for some people this prayer is very frightening. Lately, I have found it comforting, though, to think of God remembering my name.