7-28-13 St. Michael’s
7-24-16 Glennallen – Holy Family
- 1st Reading – Genesis 18:20-32
- 2nd Reading – Colossians 2:12-14
- Gospel – Luke 11:1-13
What a wonderful thing it is to be able to pray, that is, to communicate with God. Remember last weeks Gospel, the story of Martha and Mary, and Jesus’ words to Martha? “You are anxious and worried about many things.” Doesn’t that sound like us in today’s society? But Jesus said, “there is need of only one thing.” Mary, sitting and listening to Jesus, had chosen the better part. Today’s Gospel continues on and makes it clear what that one thing is.
In our first reading do you notice how comfortable, yet respectful, the conversation was between Abraham and God? It’s obvious that Abraham spent a lot of time in prayer, in conversation with God, to have the courage to plead with him and to negotiate with him about his judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. But this story isn’t about the negotiating, the haggling with God. This story is about persistence in our conversations with God. Jesus continues with that assertion in the Gospel, in the story of the friend who knocks on the door of another friend in the middle of the night asking for bread.
Jesus’ disciples, in today’s Gospel, see in his life the importance he places on that “one thing” that relationship with God the Father and so they ask him to teach them how to pray. Jesus taught them, and us, how to pray in the simplest of ways. Although we hear it today in Luke’s Gospel, the version of the “Our Father that we generally use is the version from the Gospel of Matthew: It’s probably the 1st prayer most of us memorized as children and it has become so engrained in our memory that we recite it without really thinking about what we’re really praying for.
Our Father who art in heaven – Jesus taught us to call God Father because he is the source of all life. Calling God “Father” shows the intimacy that should exist between us and our creator. Jesus himself called God the Father “Abba” in Aramaic, which in English is equivalent to “daddy”.
Hallowed be thy name – Here we recognize the holiness of God’s name and acknowledge that it deserves respect. Too often there is a lack of respect for the holiness of God’s name and here we pray that the whole world respect it.
Thy Kingdom Come – Jesus preached many times about the kingdom of God. Here we pray that our world will come more to reflect the goodness and love of God.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven – Here we pray that God’s plan may be fulfilled in our lives and in the life of every person. When God’s will be done in our lives, we become more fully who we are meant to be.
Give us this day our daily bread – Here we are asking God to provide for all our physical needs, and we are recognizing that everything we have, including our very lives, is a gift from God.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us – Here we are acknowledging that we all stand in need of God’s mercy, but that we must also show mercy to others.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – Obviously God doesn’t want us to give in to temptation or to be overcome by evil. Here we are acknowledging our own weaknesses and we are asking for his help in resisting temptation and to keep us safe from evil.
Prayer is often confused with a grocery list of our wants. We often pray in order to get God to follow along with our agenda. And that’s all fine and well, but that should not be the real reason we pray. God already knows what we need. He knows us better than we know ourselves. If prayer is all about what we want from God and we don’t get it, we’ll very likely stop praying. But prayer acknowledges that we have a relationship with God and should bring us into a closer relationship with God. Not to pray is to show your indifference to God, to send the gift of his love back to him. When we pray God should become more real for us, more present to us. If we don’t feel his presence, that’s when we need to pray. We are the ones who fall away from God. God is constant. He is always waiting for us, calling us to a closer relationship. He is like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. He sees us from afar and is waiting for us to return home. Prayer is our going home to God.
In prayer, God’s wisdom presents itself to us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit become available to us – wisdom, understanding, knowledge, strength and courage among them. Our sorrows become lighter; our pains become a little more bearable. Our little part of the world becomes more enriched by the presence of God, a presence we can bring to others around us.
When we pray, we often expect our prayers to change the outcome of events, but when we persevere in our prayer, what really changes is us.
Prayer changes us, and others, to be ready to receive the graces of God.
I’ve often said, that I don’t worry about things. To me, worrying is a waste of time and puts unneeded pressure on us. It’s just not logical. When presented with a tough circumstance, if there is something you can do about it, do it. And if not, pray. Talk to God about it and then leave it in his hands. I’d like to think that I don’t worry, because I put my trust and faith in God.
I’m often asked about my health, and how I’m recovering. I always say I’m doing fine and feel good. That’s because I am, but I do thank them for their concern and prayers. I will make a confession though. I was worried once, for one day. A few years back at the beginning of all my health issues when my doctor first told me that my kidneys were on the verge of failing. I was genuinely worried; so, the first thing I did when I got home, after telling my wife, was to go to St. Michael’s in Palmer; and I sat in the chapel praying and talking to God. I don’t remember exactly how long I stayed there or exactly what I prayed for, but I came to the conclusion that it was out of my hands. The only thing I could do was follow the instructions of my doctor, but besides that it was out of my control. So, I remember telling God that I put it back in his hands. When I left the chapel that day, I felt the weight being lifted off my shoulders. I left there, once again, with no more worries. I left there knowing I was in the palm of God’s hand. I left still not knowing what the future held but knowing who held that future. Like I said, I don’t remember exactly what I prayed for, but what I received was an abundance of God’s Grace.
At the end of today’s Gospel Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive. He doesn’t say you might receive or maybe. What he is saying is that no prayer is wasted. Prayer will always bring some form of blessing, even if it’s not what we think we need. It kind of reminds me of Christmas time when I was little, writing letters to Santa Claus. How we always wrote to Santa with a laundry list of all that we wanted. Come Christmas morning you may or may not receive a few of those things, but one thing we could count on was the one package that contained socks and underwear. Not exactly what we asked for, but definitely useful and practical. If we pray with that intimate relationship as between a small child and a parent, we have to conclude that if we don’t receive what we’ve asked for, then God has something better in mind, maybe not what we wanted, but what we need. Children trust their parents to always do for them what is in their best interest. So as children of God, we too should come to God with a spirit of trust knowing that he will always do for us what is in our best interest.
So, when we pray let’s pray for an understanding of God’s will, not ours. Let’s pray for a change in our own attitude and behavior, not God’s. For it is our intimate relationship with God, his presence in our lives, and his power and love that will save us. Abraham knew and understood that. Jesus prayed that way – and so should we.