SIGNIFICANCE OF PRAYER
One theme found throughout the Gospel of Luke is prayer. Many significant moments
of Jesus’ life are in the midst of prayer. He enters His mission, calls
His disciples, works miracles, is arrested and meets His trial — all in
the spirit of prayer. Only in prayer are we able to answer the question
asked by Jesus in the Gospel today: Who do you say I am?
The answer is first derived from popular opinion, and then Jesus zooms
in on their individual response. The question asked in the midst of His
ministry is a vital one. Upon it hangs the faith of the disciples.
Peter, the spokesperson of the disciples, answers that Jesus is the
Christ of God; Matthew puts on the lips of Peter: Christ the son of the
Living God. Right after receiving top marks in answering the question
correctly, Jesus spells out his fate. What a blow to the disciples. They
were not expecting this kind of response from their Master.
Prayer is important in our relationship with the Father. It is the way
we stay connected with His desires, His will, and His movements in our
lives. Like Jesus, we need to pray to the Father for direction. Every significant area
of our life should be lived in the context of prayer. It is through the
power of prayer that we can live up to the demands placed upon us. This
is what happened to Jesus. He knew His fate, but it did not faze Him
because He was covered in the love and protection of the Father born
through a life of prayer.
Does your life evolve around prayer? Do you give the Lord some time of
your day to discuss your problems and to celebrate your successes with Him? Do you allow decisions and significant events to be formed and celebrated
in the context of prayer? Do you take for granted your life as a
Christian, forgetting the value of prayer? Let us pray for a renewal in
the grace and life of prayer. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
REFLECTION
QUESTION: When was the last time you prayed to God for guidance and
strength in making decisions or encountering significant moments in your
life?
Lord, give me the grace to pray and value the importance of prayer in my life. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment