NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

Thursday, May 01, 2008

We should always be in the spirit of prayer. Today is recognized as a National Day of Prayer. I have had these praying hands on my desks for years. They constantly remind me of Albrecht Durer’s story and that prayer and friendship belong together.

The story is told that around the year 1490 there were two young struggling artists who were close friends. Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein were very poor and had to work to support themselves, training as artists in their spare time. However, their manual work was too demanding to allow them proper training. In desperation, they at last decided that they should cast lots to decide which of them should carry on working to support the other in art school. Albrecht won the toss, so he went off to spend time with famous artists in training, while Franz worked extra hard to support them both. Eventually, Albrecht returned to relieve his friend. Because he had become successful as an artist, he would now be able to send Franz off to school. But to his horror, Albrecht discovered that the heavy manual work had ruined Franz’s hands forever. He had forfeited his own artistic future out of loyalty to his friend.

One day, Albrecht found Franz on his knees, his hands clasped in prayer, gnarled and yet offered to God in loving sacrifice. Hurriedly, Durer sketched the moment and produced a symbol for the meaning of prayer. Ever since, the intercessory prayer symbolized by that etching reminds us that prayer and friendship belong together. The person to whom we pray had his hands pierced on our behalf.