Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
On Prayer
Part I: Preparing to Pray
Friday night, I went to a friend’s birthday party.
Our
hosts have a two-year-old son—Liam—
who provided us with constant entertainment:
who provided us with constant entertainment:
he
sings; he dances; he tells jokes.
It
doesn’t hurt, of course,
that
with a head covered in blond curls,
he’s
cute as a button.
But
beyond his showmanship,
I
was just as enthralled to watch how this tike
interacts
with his dad.
“Dad,
come play with me!” (That request was frequent.)
“Dad,
I need to blow my nose!”
“No,
Dad, I’m not tired!”
Liam
never tired of letting his father know
just what was on his young mind.
just what was on his young mind.
And
Liam’s father never tired of hearing from his son.
The
boy had complete trust in making his every request.
He
might not always get what he wants,
but
he has faith that whatever he’s going to get
is
going to be good.
Over
the past few months,
our
parish Pastoral Council has been reading a book together
and
discussing a chapter or two
at the beginning of each meeting.
at the beginning of each meeting.
One
of the very first chapters was on prayer,
and
a lively conversation ensued.
It
was a common concern that prayer
is
something we Catholics often take for granted.
We
know we’re supposed to do it,
but
many of us aren’t exactly sure how…
…and
we worry about getting it wrong.
As
a result, the Council asked if Fr. Tom and I
might
do a little focused preaching on prayer.
And
so this Sunday,
we’re
starting a three-part series on the subject:
I.
Preparing to Pray;
II.
How to Pray; and
III.
Why We Pray.
Jesus
teaches us this Sunday
about
the necessity “to pray always without becoming weary.”
The
parable he tells is equally a lesson about the fact
that
God never becomes weary of our prayers.
If
an unjust judge will eventually do what’s right
in
favor of an annoying widow,
how
much more our Father in heaven—
in
a way surpassing even Liam’s very attentive dad—
must
love us, and want what is best for us,
and
delight in hearing from us over and over and over again!
St.
John Vianney put it so well:
“Our
dear God loves to be bothered.”
For
us grown-ups who’ve lost much of our childlike spontaneity,
“to
pray always without becoming weary”
isn’t
our natural inclination,
so
a little discipline is needed.
When
it comes to preparing to pray—
to
setting the stage to regularly bother God—
I
can think of five simple steps that I hope you’ll find helpful.
Step 1: Make a decision.
“To
pray always without becoming weary”
requires
a commitment.
The
vast majority of Catholics pray pretty sporadically—
But
is it enough to pray just when you feel like praying?
“The
most important part of praying correctly
is doing it regularly.…
is doing it regularly.…
The
soul lives on prayer.” (R. Guardini)
And
experience has proven the sad truth:
“Someone
who does not pray regularly
will
soon not pray at all.” (YouCat #499)
Commit
yourself to praying every day—
particularly,
at the start of the day,
when
your mind is still clear
and to get things off on the right foot.
and to get things off on the right foot.
Make a decision.
Getting
in a regular habit of prayer takes a little work.
Beginners often get distracted or discouraged.
Beginners often get distracted or discouraged.
Usually,
their biggest mistake is aiming too high.
Start
small.
Set
a manageable goal, and build up from there.
And
even though you struggle,
even
though it sometimes seems like it doesn’t help,
be
patient and stick with it.
Remember: “Prayer is not a microwave.
Prayer is a crock-pot.” (R.
Guarendi)
Make a decision. Be faithful.
Step 3: Make time.
then
we have to make it a real priority.
From
the very beginning,
Christians
have prayed at set moments during the day—
in
the morning, before bed, at meals.
Prayer
asks us to schedule a regular time—
and
it ought to be truly valuable time, not just “spare” time.
We
don’t find time but make time to pray.
“But
I’m so busy, Father!”
I
know.
Here’s
what St. Francis de Sales had to say to that objection:
“Each Christian needs half an hour of prayer each day,
except when we are busy; then we need an hour.”
Keep
in mind that the more generous you are toward God,
Make a decision. Be faithful. Make time.
Step 4: Have a plan.
Once
you have some quality time set aside—
even
if it’s only five or ten minutes to start—
you
need to know what you’re going to do with it.
So
find the right place—in your home, outdoors, in church.
And
develop a routine for your prayer—
to
which you return again each day.
Your
prayer might take the form of daily Mass or the Rosary;
maybe it’ll be reading from the Bible or a devotional book.
maybe it’ll be reading from the Bible or a devotional book.
It
will probably take some trial and error,
but try different things until you find one that fits.
but try different things until you find one that fits.
Just
keep trying, and don’t give up.
Make a decision. Be faithful. Make time. Have a plan.
Step 5: Let God speak.
Part
of our plan must always be to leave some room for silence.
We
need to speak up when we pray,
but
we also need to listen.
Our
God is not distant.
Rather,
God longs to be our personal friend, guide, and advisor.
Unlike
a human parent,
his
complete and undivided attention.
God
is keenly interested in you and all that’s going on in your life.
So
be listening for his voice.
Have
faith that he only wants what is best for you,
and
believe that discovering his will and then doing it
is
the only real path to happiness.
The
true value of praying “always without becoming weary”
is
not that God will eventually hear us,
but
that we will finally hear God. (cf. W. McGill)
Make a decision. Be faithful. Make time.
Have a plan. Let God speak.
Have a plan. Let God speak.
In
the course of Friday’s birthday party,
a
plate of food was prepared for little Liam.
After
he was given his place at the table,
all
he did was stare at it.
“You
need to eat, Liam,” said his mom.
“But
we no pray,” he answered.
So
we all stopped and together made the Sign of the Cross.
But
before we could say, “Bless us, O Lord…”
Liam
added, “And turn off the music!”
Then
we prayed, Liam shouted, “Amen!”
and
dug into his dinner.
Even
at two-years-old, Liam gets it!
A
decision had been made and he was faithful to it;
time
was set aside and he had a plan for it;
he
even recognized the need for some silence.
Since
Liam can do it, so can—so must—we!
Is
prayer enough? Is it the whole of the Christian life?
Of
course not.
But
it is essential.
And—really—it’s
where it all begins.
Prepare
to regularly bother your heavenly Father.
Pray
without becoming weary,
for
God never wearies of hearing from you.
2 comments:
I knew, as I was reading your homily, exactly which Liam you were talking about. He is the sweetest little boy, and they are an incredible family.
Agreed!
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