Daily Reflection – 10/9/19
Sacred Scripture
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” (Luke 11:1-4)
Reflection
What is the one moment of my day that brings me the greatest amount of peace? The most consistent peace I receive is found early in the morning, alone, in silence, in the simplicity of my office, in my daily reflection. How he speaks to me, listens to me, opens my heart to be with him. It is a battle, that’s for sure. But time and time again, I am reminded that He is the one who places the words in my thoughts and upon my lips. He is the one who feeds my soul and lifts my heart .
I don’t understand how prayer works but I know this. It is not about coins. It is not a mechanical process. It is not a transaction. It is not the transmission of information to God and waiting for God to exchange that information with an answer.
Prayer is about relationship, about opening the door to the God who dearly loves us and who wants the best for us, and wants us to be the best we can be.
Prayer is about relationship AND presence. There is only one answer to every prayer . . . God. Not as in God answers our prayer but that God is the answer; God’s presence, life, love, beauty, generosity, compassion.
We cannot bend the will of the Lord, but we can form ourselves to it through prayer to prepare for the love of Christ. Through prayer, we learn what to value, and to orient ourselves to the Word and to live everlasting than the travails of this world.
While God can and sometimes does change circumstances, I am increasingly convinced that God, more often than not, changes us. God’s self-giving sustains, nourishes, strengthens, empowers, emboldens, and enables us to face the circumstances of life. We do so, sometimes with joy and gratitude, other times with pain and loss, but always with God. On my better days I know this and that’s enough. On those other days? It’s “Lord, teach me to pray.”
Perhaps the greatest difficulty of prayer is that sometimes we just want to offer our coins and push the button. We don’t want God. We want something from God. We want God to change our circumstances
I truly believe with every fiber of my intellect and every muscle of my heart that God is waiting on the other side of the door. Knock. He is waiting for you, with grace and generosity and joy. Ask. God will respond. We may not get exactly what we are asking for, but God WILL respond. Search. God will find you, and let you find him. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you may find him in the place and in the way you least expect.
God understands whatever the words, whatever the form, whatever the language, Spoken aloud, or in the silence of our hearts. God knows.
Prayer of The Day
“Father in heaven, you have given me a mind to know you, a will to serve you, and a heart to love you. Give me today the grace and strength to embrace your holy will and fill my heart that all my intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Help me to be kind and forgiving towards my neighbor as you have been towards me”.
Daily Note
Jesus, in the first part of the reading, reminds us that we truly only need three things each day: our daily bread, forgiveness of sin and debt, and the hope of avoiding being put to the ultimate test so as to remain true to the Father. All else, in the long run, are Porsches and Powerballs, which mean nothing in eternity.
