Reflection

Creator, day before yesterday, while entering names in the intercessory prayer list, I was about to type, "Be with them Lord". Then I thought, "how inappropriate", because you are always with them (us). I tried to think of something appropriate to say and could not. So I didn't type anything and went about my prayers. Later while watching television, one of the characters in whatever I was watching at the time, said the same thing in a similar situation, "Be with them Lord". Then it hit me, out of the blue, like so many of the insights You send to me, the is why we need silent prayer. Whatever we say to You is so insignificant that the only thing that really makes sense is to offer You our time and just be with You.

I'm not saying that our prayers are insignificant in that we shouldn't bother praying. What I mean is that You know all our needs, wants, and desires better than we do. When we pray verbally, I think it is only to remind ourselves of who we are, what we want, really want and need. This led me to finally internalize in a more concrete way what has been said so many times before that the only stance or disposition for prayer is humility. Only You give our prayers silent or verbal any worth, merit or meaning. If I do not realize that, my prayer time is just so much noise or unconsciousness. When I say prayers for others, I have to name them to solidify my intent to pray for the person(s) named in the prayer. This is information to keep my neighbour in my mind. All of us are always in Your mind. Loving Constant Companion, I know that You need no reminders.

Please grant that I may always pray and reflect in a posture of humility, remembering that without You, I don't exist. You know my mind and heart and its desires before I have even formulated anything into a thought, wish or desire. I ask that you teach me to grow in love, humility and wisdom, that I may be able to discern Your will and have the strength and desire to do it. I ask this in nomine Patris et Fillii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homily on Mark 6:14-29 - for July 15, 2012

Image
God’s Voice Will Not Be Silenced Speaking Truth to Power This reading tells me that there are consequences to speaking truth to power, often deadly consequences.   But, God’s voice will not be silenced.    We are told that John spoke against King Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias.   Herodias was not too pleased about this negative publicity.   So she bides her time.   She uses Herod’s hastily spoken promise to her daughter to silence John once and for all. But God’s voice will not be silenced.   We are told in the stories just before this that Jesus was rejected in his own home town of Nazareth.   Jesus left Nazareth but he was not deterred by this rejection.   He sent the twelve out two by two and Jesus and his disciples carried on God’s call to repentance when John no longer could.   Speaking truth to power continues to have devastating consequences.   In 2004, I went on a women’s del...
Read more

7 July 2013 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image
Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Isaiah 66.10-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62 Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18 Gospel: Luke 10.1-12, [13-16], 17-20 Today’s gospel is about evangelization.   The word, “evangelization” has become, for many of us, a word that sends up red flags.   This is because, unfortunately, for almost two millennia, evangelization has been used more as a weapon than as an invitation to follow Christ’s example of peace and love.   Let’s examine evangelization from Jesus’ perspective.   He knows there are plenty of people out there who would be open to hearing the Good News.   He also knows that there are plenty who don’t want to hear it.   But Jesus sends out his disciples like lambs into a sea of wolves.   We live in a culture of ravenous consumption and accumulation.   We seek to accumulate more and more money, more and more power and more and more ad nauseam.   The more we have, the more we wan...
Read more

24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Image
15 September 2013 – Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Exodus 32.7-11, 13-14 Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1.12-17 Gospel: Luke 15.1-32 When I pondered this week’s readings, a theme began to emerge.   Before I delve into the theme, I’d like you to consider a quote from Thomas Berry.   He said, “[O]ne of the basic difficulties of the modern West is its division into a secular scientific community, which is concerned with creative energies, and a religious community, which is concerned with redemptive energies.   So concerned are we with redemptive healing that once healed, we look only to be more healed.   We seldom get to our functional role within the creative intentions of the universe” (Berry 1988:25). When I considered this and looked at the readings again, I saw that what we need to be is not only co-creators but co-redemptors.   For example, in our first reading, have God’s promises to Noah and to Abraham been committed to forgetfu...
Read more