THE ESSENCE OF PRAYER - Fr. Joel O. Jason

Anyone familiar with the Gospel knows that there are many times when the Apostles were not so “apostolic,” so to speak. There were times they were cowardly, lazy and acted like spoiled brats. Today’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-4), however, is one of those moments when they act like true followers of Jesus. Look at their request: “Lord, teach us how to pray.” They wanted to pray like Jesus. If I were one of the Apostles, I think I would have requested Jesus to teach me some magic so I can impress people on my own, or maybe a magic word or formula that God can never refuse to heed.

       What is prayer? In some other parts of Scripture, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you” (John 14:13). To ask in Jesus’ name is not a magic spell we cast on the Father, i.e., blackmailing God to act according to our liking. To pray in Jesus’ name is what the disciples requested in today’s Gospel. To pray like Jesus, to pray in His name, is to pray according to His heart, His mind, His will. Whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name will surely come to pass if it is according to the heart and mind of God.

       Prayer therefore is not so much a changing of the mind of God by a force that is irresistible. Prayer in its very essence is the changing of our hearts and minds, such that whenever we pray, we pray for what is true, beautiful and good. Prayer is conforming our hearts to God that even when our own desires are actually in conflict with His way and time, we remain steadfast in following Him.

       This is why Jesus asked us to pray daily, “Your will be done on earth as it in heaven.” Prayer is not conforming the mind of God to ours, whether  He likes it or not. Prayer is conforming ourselves to God — then everything else will follow. 

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you transitioned from seeing prayer as a transaction to a relationship?

 

Lord, may Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Amen.

GOSPEL READING TO DAY - Luke 11:1-4 - THE OUR FATHER

Lords prayerNow once he was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’. He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:

“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”‘

Reflection on Luke 11: 1-4

In today’s gospel, Jesus Christ teaches us how to pray. He gives us a very simple way in which we can pray effectively. What matters in prayer is not the quantity but the quality. The Lord’s prayer gives us the core elements in our prayer: thanksgiving to God for his goodness to us; surrendering to God and trusting in his plans for our lives; living in his providence by asking him to provide only for our needs of the day; recognizing our sinfulness and asking for forgiveness while at the same time we forgive all those who have offended us; and finally, asking God to help us avoid anything that will lead us away from trusting and living in him. In this prayer, we see how God wants us to live. Apart from being a prayer, it is also the way a Christian should live his or her life. Our challenge today is to make this prayer a part of our own lives.

Gospel Reading & Reflection for the 25th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C – September 22nd 2013

FIRST READING: Amos 8:4-7

Listen to this, you who trample on the needy
and try to suppress the poor people of the country,
you who say, ‘When will New Moon be over
so that we can sell our corn,
and sabbath, so that we can market our wheat?
Then by lowering the bushel, raising the shekel,
by swindling and tampering with the scales,
we can buy up the poor for money,
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and get a price even for the sweepings of the wheat.’
The Lord swears it by the pride of Jacob,
‘Never will I forget a single thing you have done’

GOSPEL: Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”

Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty”. To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty”.

‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

‘And so I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity. The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?

‘No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.’

GOSPEL READING TODAY - LUCAS 7:7-17 - Muling Binuhay ang Anak ng Isang Biyuda

 7 ni hindi rin po ako karapat-dapat na humarap sa inyo. Ngunit sabihin lamang po ninyo at gagaling na ang aking alipin. 8 Ako po ay nasa ilalim ng mga nakakataas sa akin at may nasasakupan naman akong mga kawal. Kapag sinabi ko sa isa, 'Pumunta ka roon!' pumupunta siya; at kapag sinabi ko naman po sa isa, 'Halika!' siya'y lumalapit. Kapag sinabi ko po sa aking alipin, 'Gawin mo ito!' ginagawa niya iyon."

               9 Namangha si Jesus nang marinig ito, kaya't humarap siya sa napakaraming taong sumusunod sa kanya at sinabi, "Kahit na sa Israel ay hindi ako nakakita ng ganito kalaking pananampalataya."

               10 Pagbalik nila sa bahay, naratnan ng mga isinugo na magaling na nga ang alipin.

Muling Binuhay ang Anak ng Isang Biyuda

               11 Pagkatapos nito, nagpunta naman si Jesus sa isang bayang tinatawag na Nain. Sumama sa kanya ang mga alagad at ang napakaraming tao. 12 Nang malapit na siya sa pintuan ng bayan, nasalubong nila ang libing ng kaisa-isang anak na lalaki ng isang biyuda. Napakaraming nakikipaglibing. 13 Nahabag ang Panginoon nang kanyang makita ang ina ng namatay kaya't sinabi niya rito, "Huwag ka nang umiyak." 14 Nilapitan niya at hinipo ang kinalalagyan ng bangkay at tumigil naman ang mga may pasan nito. Sinabi niya, "Binata, makinig ka sa akin, bumangon ka!"

               15 Naupo ang binata at nagsalita; at siya'y ibinigay ni Jesus sa kanyang ina.

               16 Natakot ang lahat at sila'y nagpuri sa Diyos. Sabi nila, "Dumating sa kalagitnaan natin ang isang dakilang propeta! Dinalaw ng Diyos ang kanyang bayan!"

               17 At kumalat sa buong Judea at sa palibot na lupain ang balitang ito tungkol sa ginawa ni Jesus.

A MOTHER’S REQUEST - Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

Jesus, no doubt, loves His mother very much. Remember how the first miracle happened through the prodding of His mother when they ran out of wine at the wedding feast in Cana? It was not yet Jesus’ time, but His love for His mother prevailed. After all, most of us children usually give in to the requests of our mothers — even if sometimes they are against our will. Mothers are mothers.

       At the foot of the cross, in the midst of Jesus’ agony before He breathed His last, His still sharp heart and mind never failed to remember the mother He was leaving behind. He entrusted Mary to John: “Son, behold thy mother.” No amount of pain will make Jesus forget His mother, so He put her under the care of John. Somebody’s got to be with her. From the cross, He also saw and felt the agony of His mother, who must have been crying a river at the foot of the cross.

       In today’s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17), Jesus could have seen a familiar situation: a grieving mother who was a widow and whose only son died. He must have sensed that it would happen to Him someday, how His own mother, Mary, would grieve heavily at His death. He might have seen in this woman a “Mater Dolorosa,” wailing before the lifeless body of her son.

       The scene was too much for Him to bear. The heart of Jesus, so meek and mild, breaks every time He sees a mother in mourning. He could not bear to see His own mother suffering the same fate (although He knew already that it would happen in His Calvary).

       Thus, the miracle. He brought the dead son back to life — not so much to show a miracle but on account of a mother who was moving heaven and earth to bring her son back to life. “He was moved with pity and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”

         A mother’s gentle request never fails to break the heart of Jesus.

       Because He loves His mother. Because He loves all mothers! 

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you show your concern for those who weep and seek for help?