RBWords

     Every morning I go for a long walk and pray the rosary for all the people in my life that I can think of.  There's a fairly regular list, but some intentions for particular things like bar exam results or surgeries or job hunts or safe delivery of babies come and go.  These are important "events" in the lives of those for whom I pray.  What is important is the person in each case.  Sometimes I don't know the "final outcome" of the event I've been asked to pray about till much later.  Just as important is the persistence.  Praying for someone is, for me, a way of "staying in touch" with them.

     Jesus' words about prayer come after his image of the neighbor knocking persistently at the door of his friend and neighbor late at night to borrow bread.  Jesus mentions two reasons why the request might be granted:  friendship or sheer persistence (which could cause a lot of racket late at night).  It seems to be that the persistence itself is based on the friendship already in existence!  It is definitely friendship that motivates my long walk with the rosary in the morning.  At the Morning and Evening Prayer in our Dominican priory, there is a period of "petitions" in which we pray for general and particular intentions:  world peace, rain (we're in a terrible drought), parishioners with needs.  Many of the people mentioned are folks I don't know, but I think it is important to join with my Dominican brothers in those intentions.  We do this seven days a week.  Prayer to me involves both friendship and persistence, and I don't know how you can have one without the other!   AMEN