By Colleen
O'Sullivan
We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope
reserved for you in heaven. Of this you
have already heard through the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to
you. (Colossians 1:3-5)
At daybreak Jesus left and went to a deserted place. (Luke 4:42a)
Piety
Come now, little one, turn
aside for a while from your daily employment,
escape for a moment from
the tumult of your thoughts.
Put aside your weighty
cares, let your burdensome distractions wait,
free yourself awhile for
God and rest awhile in him.
Enter the inner chamber of
your soul, shut out everything except God
and that which can help you
in seeking him.
And when you have shut the door, seek God.
(St. Anselm of Canterbury, 1033-1109)
Study
Our
first reading is from the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Christians at
Colossae, written from Rome, where Paul is in prison. Locked up, I’d probably be frightened and depressed. I’m not sure I would be writing letters to
anyone.
Yet
here we find Paul, a prisoner, not feeling sorry for himself, not praying
desperately to God to be freed, but writing about praying for the
Colossians. He’s actually never met
them. A convert from Ephesus, Epaphras, is
the one who’d gone to Colossae, preached the Good News, and established the
church there. But Paul writes that when
he prays for them, he prays with a thankful heart, because he’s heard good
reports about their faith in the Lord and how they live out that faith with
love for one another. He writes to
encourage them and to reinforce the teaching that Christ reigns supreme over
all creation. He doesn’t want them to
fall prey to false teachings about “cosmic powers.” At a time when many of us might be despairing,
Paul sends the Colossians palanca from prison.
The
apostle’s ability to pray for others and to send them support and encouragement
in the midst of his own trials and tribulations doesn’t happen by
accident. Paul is deeply rooted in his
relationship with the Lord. He has
learned to be truly indifferent to his circumstances; the only important thing for
him is to be centered in Christ. He has
to have spent many an hour in the sort of prayer we read about in today’s Gospel,
where Jesus withdraws to a deserted place to be alone with his Father after an
entire night of healing the sick and casting out demons.
If
we are serious about having a relationship with Christ, we, too, need to carve
out quiet times to be alone with him. Think
about the relationships we have with our friends. If we don’t spend time together sharing,
talking and listening to each other, the friendship peters out. Prayer is the way we grow and stay close to
the Lord. Prayer is sometimes talking to
Jesus, but, at least in my life, more often becomes listening to what he is
saying to me. Our lives are busy, but
it’s essential to carve out the time to be alone with him.
Action
Prayer
is an exercise. We have to be committed
to it and we have to show up every day for it, no matter what. Like any exercise, the more we stick with it,
the easier it becomes.
This
might be a good opportunity to review your prayer life. Do you have a daily prayer routine? We’re less likely to give up if we have set times
of day for praying. Do you pray
faithfully, or are you hit or miss in the time you spend with Jesus?
If
you’re looking for books on prayer, two of the best I’ve read are by William A.
Barry, S.J. – A Friendship Like No Other:
Experiencing God’s Amazing Embrace and Praying
the Truth: Deepening Your Friendship
With God Through Honest Prayer.
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