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Yesterday, for the first time in half a millennium the English monarch and the Pope prayed together in Rome. For many people this was a profoundly significant moment; for others it was probably a non-event. But, I wonder what viewers thought was actually going in the Sistine Chapel. Well, much has been made of the symbolism of the event itself – a visible reconciliation as Pope and King listened to music and readings that quietly emphasise the ultimate accountability of powerful people to God – every person being made in the image of God. In other words, the content of what was said and done was as important as the symbolism. It wasn’t merely an act or an empty gesture. Prayer is not neutral – especially in a place that holds the judgment of God in exquisite art. I watched it and couldn’t escape the power of articulated accountability. The trappings of glory, the glory of art, the beauty of music; and, yet, the words all spoke of humility. Here a pope is not the ultimate head of a church. A king is not the ultimate power of a state. Power must always be rooted in the humble recognition that the most powerful people on the planet are themselves held accountable – in my view to God - for their words, actions and decisions. If power can easily corrupt, then prayer can slowly change us for the better. For prayer opens space for us to tell God – and each other - the deepest longings of our heart … even when we know that this has as much to do with wishful thinking as it does hope for change or deliverance from bad stuff. Prayer is the space where we can be true – even about our worst instincts and emotions. Just read the Psalms with their raw honesty. However, as I have got older I have realized that prayer is less about changing God’s mind than having my mind changed by exposure to God. In this sense, prayer means shutting up and listening, facing the reality of God, the world and myself. Saying the Lord’s Prayer leads me to uncomfortable reflection: if I want God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then what do I have to do to help that happen? How or what do I need to change in order to be the answer to that prayer? In this sense, prayer is about exposing myself to God’s character and light, rejecting hypocrisy, being stripped back, and discovering that repentance – literally ‘changing my mind’, looking and seeing through God’s eyes – is a massive, challenging and transformative gift. Even for kings and popes.