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 todayÂ’s 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 doesn’t 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 Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur, “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 doesnÂ’t 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? WouldnÂ’t I feel instead that this person didnÂ’t 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 God’s Plan Instead of Insisting on Your Own. I need to remember that every prayer has its effect. How often am I disappointed when I don’t get what I’m 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 don’t see the results of my prayer, that doesn’t 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.
