Prayer
Is the Lifeblood of My Relationship with
Jesus
October 4, 2005
St. Francis of Assisi
Father James Swanson, LC
Luke 10:38-42Jesus entered a village where a woman whose
name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary sat
beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha,
burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not
care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell
her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of
only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be
taken from her."
Introductory Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me to
deepen my faith through the contemplation of todays Gospel. Help
me not only accept all you reveal as true, but also live it. Help
me live an authentic Christian faith, living your holy will at
every moment of the day.
Petition: Lord, help me to learn how to pray
better, to achieve the intimacy with you that you desire.
1. More Things Are Wrought By Prayer Than Your Philosophy
Dreams Of. Many good people see prayer as a weak thing
that really doesnt help. So they put their effort into doing great
projects, into doing as much as they can to bring about good in the
world. This is a good thing. But prayer is essential. Even if I
manage to involve thousands of others in my project, I will still
not accomplish as much as when I get God involved. Getting God
involved through prayer is the first and the most important thing
to do if we are going to accomplish anything. As King Arthur says
to Sir Bedevere in Tennysons Morte dArthur, More things are
wrought by prayer than your philosophy dreams of.
2. Persevere in Prayer with Love. Many critics of
prayer complain that they pray a lot, but it doesnt seem to do any
good. Well, there are a couple of things to say about that. First
of all, there needs to be love for God in my heart. God needs to be
someone familiar to me, a friend. In asking for a favor, I expect
to get a greater response from someone I know, someone who is close
to me, than from a stranger. Imagine if there was someone I barely
knew, and the only time I saw him was when he needed a favor from
me. Would I be inclined to give him what he needs? Wouldnt I feel
instead that this person didnt really respect me and was trying to
take advantage of me? I should ask myself if this is the way God
feels when I ask him for something in prayer. Second, I need to
persevere. Like the Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to cure her
daughter, I have to persevere in prayer when things are difficult.
Her perseverance increased her faith, and in the end it got her
what she wanted. If I persevere in prayer with love, I will get
what I need.
3. Cooperate with Gods Plan Instead of Insisting on Your
Own. I need to remember that every prayer has its effect.
How often am I disappointed when I dont get what Im asking for?
Am I open enough in my prayer to let God work as he wants, to
follow his plan and not mine? Do I force him to refuse my request
by making it so narrow that there is no way to incorporate it into
his plan? Even if I dont see the results of my prayer, that
doesnt mean God is not listening. God always rises to the occasion
and will often do something a lot better than what I wanted him to
do. He does what is best for me, even if it does not entirely
conform to my plan. I may never know or realize in this life
the specifics of how God listened to my prayers. It takes faith to
accept this.
Dialogue with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to trust
in you, especially in your plan for me. Help me never to neglect
prayer, but rather give it the place it deserves the first place.
Whatever project I undertake, help me to remember to start it with
prayer, pray while I am doing it and finish it with prayer. I want
to be close to you like Mary. I want to serve you like Martha. Help
me to find the right order in my life.
Resolution: When I consider the biggest thing I am
doing for God today, I will be sure to ask him in prayer to bless
it.
