Teach Us to Pray

July 29, 2007

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Should not the judge of all the world act with justice? Genesis 18:25

He brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14

I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. Luke 11:8

Piety

From Sacred Space (http://www.sacredspace.ie/)

My soul longs for your presence, Lord.

When I turn my thoughts to you, I find peace and contentment.

Lord, may I never take the gift of freedom for granted. You gave me the great blessing of freedom and of spirit. Fill my spirit with Your peace and Your joy.

In God's loving presence I unwind the past day, starting from now and looking back, moment by moment. I gather in all the goodness and light, in gratitude.
I attend to the shadows and what they say to me, seeking healing, courage, forgiveness.

The word of God comes to us through the scriptures.
May the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind and my heart to respond to the gospel teachings: to love my neighbor as myself; to care for my sisters and brothers in Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for answering the disciple in today’s Gospel so briefly yet generously. If I linger on this prayer, savoring it phrase by phrase, I have everything I need from prayer: raising my heart and mind to God, begging and giving forgiveness, asking for what I need, and to be safe from trials beyond my strength.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/072907.shtml

In fund-raising, we have a little maxim. People give because they are asked to give. The corollary also is true for most: People do not give if they are not asked to give. When you grow weary of the fund-raisers calling you on the phone, filling up you mail box, blanketing the Internet and the magazines, or stopping you on a street corner, then perhaps you will have a sense of what God feels like with all the prayers generated in His direction.

Prayer demands the same kind of persistence. If we do not ask our Father in heaven for His assistance, how will He know that we need it?

If we don’t knock on the door, how will those inside know that we are waiting out in the cold dark night?

If we don’t look for God’s grace and blessing, how will we find it?

Whether the Father responds out of His love for us or due to our persistent asking, know this one thing: He will respond.

Action

What are you asking of your Father these days? What are you asking of the Blessed Virgin Mary? What are you asking of Jesus? The saints?

Do you think you don’t have time to pray? Do you think you don’t know how to pray? Like the disciples, ask Jesus to teach you to pray.

Perhaps he will send you to Sacred Space (http://www.sacredspace.ie/) for ten minutes each day. The idea of the site was to bring a meaningful experience of prayer to busy people in their offices, and to bring it to them on their desktops through the internet. Sacred Space guides the visitor gently through a ten-minute prayer session, in six stages, centred on a scripture passage for the day, and based on the tradition of Ignatian spirituality. You are never alone. In June, 434 people prayed every hour with Sacred Space.

How will God respond to your request? How will you respond in action to God’s love?