Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - Tuesday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Cor 6:1-11 and Luke 6:12-19]Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from then he chose Twelves, whom he also named Apostles. [Luke]
SEPTEMBER 9 [U.S.A. - ST. PETER CLAVER, SJ]
In preaching retreats, I often hear two statements about prayer: "I wish I had more time to pray!" and "My work is my prayer." Both of these statements reflect the cultural "workaholism" that inflicts all of us in the West! And both statements are very dangerous to the spiritual life of the Christian. There is no substitute for direct engagement with God and it is important enough that it should have priority in our daily lives. We have the example of Jesus in today's gospel to start with!
One wonders if Jesus was praying over a list of names! His choices were certainly unusual, including the one who would eventually betray him! The text seems to connect the two things: prayer and action. What is clear, however, is that one preceded the other! We have other examples of Jesus going off away from his ministry to pray.
To the first statement, I often respond with the question: "Would you leave the house in the morning without brushing your teeth?" Why is that of greater priority? Finding the time is a matter of discipline and once it becomes as much a part of our day as our habitual things, we wouldn't dream of NOT doing it. To the second statement, I often respond, "What would happen if you could no longer "work?" Would that mean you would lose the ability to talk to God?
St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P. tells us that the desire to pray is very important. We can let that desire motivate us and open us to the discipline and action of prayer. It may take time, but it is time well spent. AMEN