Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Lk 18:1-8
Peter Kreeft says, “Prayer ‘changes things'”. If God is outside of time and He can forsee us praying for someone who has cancer during their life, can He make that cancer malignant or non-existent before they are born seeing all of those prayers for that person? Absolutely. Prayer is powerful and Jesus teaches us to persevere in prayer in the parable of the Persistent Widow today. Prayer is a challenge, but must be willed by us. It is a response to God in praise, thanksgiving, petition, and contrition for sin. In the Google world we live in we expect God to answer our prayers at the push of a button. If what we are praying for is God’s will remember, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?” The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “2697 Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart: “We must remember God more often than we draw breath.”1 But we cannot pray “at all times” if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it. These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration. (1099)
2698 The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer. The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer. (1168, 1174, 2177)
2699 The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart’s resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer. (2563)
In a world filled with noise and constant distractions at the palm of our hand, what are we worshiping? We know silence and time are required for prayer, but do we make it happen. We don’t have time NOT to pray, the devil is always prowling. Prayer brings perspective, joy, and peace. Make time for it. Jesus teaches us there will be obstacles to prayer, don’t expect it to be easy. What in life have we experienced that comes easy and is very rewarding? The long difficult journeys and tough times are what make the good times good and the reward great.
Today’s challenge: Make goals to have a rhythm of prayer in your life. Persevere, but make changes where necessary based on how the Holy Spirit moves you. Pray in the same place at the same time everyday.
Become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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