Verbum Dei UK

Exodus 17:8-13 ; 2 Tim 3:14-4:2 ; Luke 18:1-8

MEDITATION:

This Sunday Jesus is proposing the prayer of petition - repeated if necessary and with strong faith.

He tells of a widow repeatedly asking a judge for help, and He proposes that we seek God's help with that kind of persistence. And of course it’s not a question of physical sound-waves! The first reading describes Moses holding his arms up so that Joshua can overcome the attack of an enemy. That 'holding up of arms' is just symbolic of asking for God's help. (Of course Christ (of the New Testament) wants us to win the battle against our own selfishness and win over the friendship of opposition). The second reading is of Paul recommending to Timothy that he pay attention to the faith that he's been given and that he pass it on to others with patience and with persistence even if people oppose him. We're asked to believe that God has the power to overcome problems and therefore to trust in God (but we do have to face up to challenges 'along the way'). To quote the letter of James: 'The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful' (James 5:16 ).

Repeating petitions to God may seem irrelevant to some, since God already knows our needs, even more than we do ourselves, but the process itself of humbly asking is actually very healthy for the asker! If God's reply involves asking us to meditate his Word, do we faithfully put effort into that? If we don't, then we're not really asking for help. If we could begin every day saying "Lord, I'm not sure of what to do today. I don't know if I'm up to it", that's a great way to begin because it makes us humbly seek answers and seek to know his will for us. It's good to be humble in that. If we feel very confident about our own selves, that's a big danger. Mary teaches us that.

The supreme gift that God has already given to us is his Word made flesh in the womb of Mary. Many people have come to know the Bible, and even to study it, but prayer is much more than an academic exercise! It's nice to learn about "theology" but that's a frame on the picture. Let's make sure we take a good look at the picture itself! It's lovely to remember pleasant experiences but that may be only a photo album of past travels whereas our 'loved one' wants us to keep traveling with Him every day.

'Moses spoke with God like a man speaks with his friend' (Exodus 33:11 ). If a guy wants to begin an affair with a girl, he doesn't ask someone else to pass on the message to her! We need personal contact with someone in order to fall in love. That's why Jesus asks us to pray. True prayer is a direct relationship with God - not with the people who talk to us of God. Others can help open the door but we should then enter in and spend time with The Trinity in personal prayer.

Jesus says this: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7 +). We all pray "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name... Your will be done…etc." But of course, a vital part of prayer is to seek what is his 'will' so that we can do it! So we should be good 'listeners'. That's what the word 'disciple' means: a listener. It isn't a search for 'sentiment' but a search for what God wants us to do and how to do it.

On the road to eternal life, we have to get past death and we have to distinguish between a physical death and a dying to our identity as children of God who is Love. That more profound 'death' is called tanatos in Greek. The writers of philosophy who haven't deepened like that are called 'gnostics'. They reckon that mankind finds out all they need to know about life, just by using their own brains. I think that the really clever brain, is the one who is humble enough to pay attention to the supreme 'brain' - to God! A Vatican II document puts it nicely: 'The greatest reason for human dignity lies in the call of mankind to union with God. From his very birth man is called to dialogue with God and can say he's reached the fullness of truth only when he recognizes this and confides completely in his creator' (Gaudium et Spes 19). The world would change beautifully if only more people would open up to that 'great reason for human dignity'!

Repeating petitions to God may seem irrelevant to some, since God already knows our needs, even more than we do, yet Jesus says this: "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread...I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence."And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Luke 11:5-9 ).

I like to quote St Catherine (Zoe) Laboure (1806-1876):"It is not hard to pray. In the chapel I say to God: 'Lord, here I am. Give me whatever You wish.' If He gives me something, I thank Him; if He gives me nothing, I still thank Him, because I deserved nothing. I tell Him what comes into my mind, I tell Him my troubles and my joys, and I listen to Him. If you listen to Him, He will speak to you too. He always speaks when one goes to Him sincerely and simply." Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

Many may say they don't hear much in prayer - but do you listen much? - read the Word and meditate? Prayer isn't in order to come to terms with our situations and to feel O.K. about the way we are now. It often does that, but good prayer is prayer that challenges us and inspires us to take steps forward. The widow in the Gospel is seeking help from the judge in overcoming an adversary, but prayer shouldn't seek a 'tranquilizer' just for ourselves. It should seek the path to travel in order to help others.

Most people are well aware that Christ gives his followers missions to fulfill, but that goes hand in hand with a life of prayer. He calls us to contemplate and meditate - to 'listen'. Missionary life just can't be born without that, but it needs it to continue every day. I'd say it's like our physical bodies need air to breathe! The church has what we call missionary orders and contemplative orders, but they're not as separate as it may seem. A decent missionary has to be very contemplative also. The active world tends to see 'contemplative' life as a step down from being 'out and about' building or healing or teaching or preaching etc, but it may actually be a step up!

So let's approach God for help in the way God wants us to. 'Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus' (Phil 4:6-7 ).

To know a lot 'about' God is different to knowing God a lot - and the Trinity communicates a lot to us through their Word who became flesh and lives among us!

............Dara.

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