RBWords

     Many a pastor will identify with the words quoted above from today's gospel scripture!  One of the frequent complaints I get from priests on retreats is the problem of finding time to pray!!!!  Many of them simply give up by saying, "My work is my prayer!"  Some do find time for prayer in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel if their parish has one of those.  Others know that when they wake up in the morning, there will be the equivalent of Simon and others looking for them!  Private prayer, yes even the breviary, disappears beneath the weight of pastoral demand.  

     Pastors are not the only ones with this problem, as we all know!  The rather frantic pace of much of life in our culture makes it very difficult to find "a deserted place" to pray, even very early in the morning!   Ask anyone with small children to take care of!   An annual retreat may be the only time this happens.  Prayer seems like an "add-on" to other more essential things like making a living and paying the bills!  When people ask me about finding time to pray, I ask them, "Would you leave the house in the morning without brushing your teeth?"  One has to have a "habit of prayer" just like a habit of hygiene or exercise if one wants to be sure to include this vital spiritual resource in one's life!  It can't be an "add-on."  The time of day is not as important as the regularity of it.  Sometimes when people tell me they have "neglected their morning and evening prayers,"  I ask them if they pray at any other time!  

     Today's gospel speaks of the growing demands of Jesus' own ministry!  We can be sure we have a sympathetic ear when we lament our schedules and how they erode our spiritual lives.  But we have to keep trying to make sure that the relationship with the Lord stays healthy.  Spiritual hygiene is just as important as the physical kind!  AMEN