“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God and listening.”

Prayer -A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer.--St. Faustina (1905 – 1938: Polish Nun, mystic and visionary)

Gospel Text: (MK 12:18-27)
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.’
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”

For many of us, deepening our prayer life is easier said than done. Much like our intentions to follow a new diet or exercise program, it is easy to talk about but often so very hard to implement and follow. That you have taken the time to read today’s gospel reading and this reflection are certainly signs of your good intentions. So in the days ahead I challenge you to be more purposeful in your prayer life and to let God’s presence be known to you, in your thoughts, word and deeds. Try to be more conscious of God, imagine God sitting next to you as you pray and thank God for being with you.

For it is through strengthening our prayer life that we will have a deeper relationship with God and the power to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that will surely someday befall us.