TO PRAY ALWAYS

Listening to the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.

He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'"

The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Reflection

The Gospel of this coming Sunday (29th Sunday in Ordinary Time) is well explained by Jesus’ own words: “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” Prayer is like food or air—we need it to survive. This Sunday is also World Mission Sunday, and we are reminded of the two great patrons of mission: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Saint Francis Xavier. Mission without prayer is lifeless. Saint Thérèse spent her entire life within a monastery, yet she was proclaimed Patroness of Mission because she wrote: “I understood that the Church has a body composed of various members, but that this body cannot lack the most necessary and noble member. I understood that the Church has a HEART—a heart burning with love. I understood that only love impels the members of the Church to action, and that, if this love were extinguished, the apostles would no longer proclaim the Gospel, the martyrs would no longer shed their blood.” This heart, burning with love, is made possible only through prayer—a constant, persistent, and intimate relationship with Jesus.

Prayer is not easy—it requires silence and the ability to make space for the Other. We know how crowded our minds and hearts can be, filled with countless voices, thoughts, and worries. These distractions will always be present, but we are called to learn how to pause, to enter into an intimate moment with our Lord, so that His love may flood our hearts—and in turn, shape our thoughts, actions, and words.

Looking at the life of Saint Francis Xavier, we see that his missionary zeal and his courage to proclaim Christ in all circumstances stemmed from his deep life of prayer—his constant communion with God, with Jesus, and his reliance on the Holy Spirit. As missionaries, we realize that without setting aside time for an intimate relationship with God, our lives can become empty, our preaching lukewarm, and our message devoid of meaning. It is this intense, constant, and persistent relationship with God that assures us we are faithful instruments of His love and care for all people. Excessive activity, without proper time for prayer, can lead us to show ourselves rather than the One we are called to reveal: Jesus. Prayer, once again, is not always easy. There are times when it feels more appealing to act than to remain with the Lord. Yet may our relationship with Him be the fire that makes us true witnesses of His presence among His people.