Word to the Wise
Thursday, October 12, 2023 - Thursday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
[Mal 3:13-20b and Luke 11:5-13]"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." [Luke]
Maintaining a good relationship requires good communication whether it be marriage, ordinary friendships, business - any relationship that one wants to bear fruit. It is not a matter of asking for this or that particular result, but rather keeping the relationship in good shape!! Prayer is the lifeline of our relationship with God. For that relationship to stay in good shape, prayer has to be persistent and regular. This is the model that Jesus and the evangelist Luke place before us. Jesus is shown to be a man of prayer. Otherwise his mission would have been impossible. The rejection and persecution being experienced by the community for which Luke was writing could wear down and discourage the missionaries.
This is not simply a matter of finding the right words! St. Thomas Aquinas mentions that it is hard to get through a single Our Father without our minds getting distracted! It IS a matter of attention and effort to communicate. Each relationship is unique and the words or gestures, etc. will be unique to that relationship. On a group basis, common words and gestures will be necessary for prayer in common as in the sacraments or the Liturgy of the Hours. But on an individual basis, the effort to establish and maintain good communication will be a continual challenge. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, offers these words: The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will. [Romans 8:26-27]
Sometimes the best communication is silent presence with a friend. In faith, this can be in an adoration chapel or on a park bench! What is important is to be present (even if living far apart) and communicate with all that we are. AMEN