Saturday, November 12, 2011

How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer. --St. Teresa of Avila

“If we really understand the Eucharist, if we really centre our lives on Jesus' Body and Blood, if we nourish our lives with the Bread of the Eucharist, it will be easy for us to see Christ in that hungry one next door, the one lying in the gutter, the alcoholic man we shun, our husband or our wife, or our restless child. For in them, we will recognize the distressing disguises of the poor: Jesus in our midst.” - Mother Teresa

Gospel text (Lk 18,1-8):
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?"

A necessity is something that we must have or do. Otherwise, we will suffer dire consequences. For example, food is a necessity. If we don't have it, we die. Jesus teaches that it is a necessity not only to pray but to pray always (Lk 18:1). Otherwise, we will suffer dire consequences.

How can we pray always? The Spirit "helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought" (Rm 8:26). The Spirit changes the necessity of praying always from an impossible burden to a privilege and a constant miracle. To pray always is to do God's will always because we are always aware of His presence. To pray always is to abide in love and abide in God (1 Jn 4:16). To pray always is to share in heaven.

Ask Jesus to teach you to pray always (see Lk 11:1). In answer to your prayer, God the Father through Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to help you pray always. You will enter into the mystery of Trinitarian love. Pray always.

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