Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 14, 2008 - Thursday in the First Week of Lent (Sts. Cyril and Methodius) Happy Valentine!
[Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 and Matthew 7:7-12]Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find' knock and the door will be opened to you......
Matthew's version of Jesus' words on prayer seems a bit tame after listening to Esther's desperate plea. Jesus' words imply a long term fidelity to the relationship with God in confidence that this relationship will enable the believer to work through all problems. Esther's prayer presumes this relationship and directs its enabling power to a desperate situation in which she is faced with an overwhelming decree against her people. It is clear from the story that she prevails against Haman the enemy. In this she becomes a model for what Jesus says. Religious bookstores, at least the mostly Catholic ones I visit, have shelves and shelves of books about prayer. Whatever form this may take in an individual's life, I have but two modest suggestions. First, be faithful to it day in and day out. Using the analogy of friendship (St. Thomas Aquinas' favorite), we maintain a relationship because we love someone not just once in awhile but continuously. Prayer is our expression of love along with "keeping the commandments." Second, keep it real. By that I mean that whatever form we use for prayer it should be a true expression of who we are and not just something labeled "prayer" that we pull from another source. If that source is an authentic expression of our own love and faith, then it is real. Otherwise it is mechanical and disconnected from our selves. God wants not our prayers but us! Lent is a good time to think about this. AMEN