A PRAYER OF PRAISE

 

PUTTING PRAISE INTO OUR PRAYER!

 

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart ....

    in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise.  (Psalm 138:1)

 

As outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,  we generally recognize five types of prayer:   adoration,  intercession, petition, thanksgiving and prayers of praise of God.   As far as I know,  there is no hierarchy of prayer:   All types are good, and God loves to hear from us.   But I wonder how often do we just sit down and take a moment to thank God for all that he has given us,  to simply praise God?

 

A reading of the psalms gives us a glimpse of prayers of praise and thanksgiving.  Over and over, the psalmist turns his attention to the blessings of God's creation, to the power and majesty of the Almighty,  praising God again and again for his laws,  his love and his guidance.   I can't remember when I thought to thank God for his commandments.   Praying the psalms is a perfect way to begin.

 

(This reflection on prayer by Paul Pennick appeared in LIVING FAITH for Sept. 29, 2014.)

 

 

 

 

Jesus ... a model of frequent prayer

 

Jesus,  a prayer model for us

 

Luke 9:18    "Once, when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with them....."

 

All four Gospels, of course, devote time and space to the subject of prayer, but Luke has more to say about prayer than the other three evangelists.   Luke shows Jesus at prayer frequently, especially at crucial moments of his life:   at his baptism (3:21),  before choosing the Twelve  (6:12),   at the Transfiguration  (9:29),   in the garden of Gethsemane  (22:42),  and on the cross  (23:24).   It is this model of frequent prayer that we are called to as Christians.

 

To pray is to be still.   But most people are restless and do not like to be still.   Our culture has driven us to become busy, active beings.   We rush to get to work and rush to get home.   We have no time to waste,  for time is money.  In our era of hyper-speed and super computers, waiting has become almost uncivilized.   Just as Jesus stopped and prayed along the journey to Jerusalem,  we are invited to stop from time to time and be still in prayer.   By being still in solitude, we can truly discover God's revelation and answer the question:  "Who do you say that I am?"

 

(This reflection is by Fr. vanThanh Nguyen, SVD, and appears at the daily meditation for September 26, 2014 in  the  GIVE US THIS DAY missalette published by Liturgical Press,  Collegeville, MN.)

 

 

PRAYER AND EVANGELIZATION

PRAYER'S ROLE IN EVANGELIZATION

A new evangelization,  a Church that evangelizes, must always start with prayer,  with asking, as the apostles did in the Upper Room, for the fire of the Holy Spirit.   Only a faithful and intense relationship with God makes it possible to get out of our own closedness and proclaim the Gospel with parrhesia.   

Without prayer, our acts are empty and our proclamation has no soul;  it is not inspired by the Spirit.

(This reflection by Pope Francis was given in a general audience on May 22, 2013.   It appears on page 82 in a new book entitled:  THE CHURCH OF MERCY by Pope Francis:  a Vision for the Church. ) 

PRAYER is our SOLID GROUND

STANDING ON THE ROCK OF PRAYER


Prayer reminds us that we ourselves, including our work, are not the center of the universe.  To begin to believe otherwise is the fatal sin of vainglory,  "empty glory."   We put our faith and self-worth in titles or rank, claiming for ourselves privileges and exceptions.  It's a house built on sand.   And when retirement looms, or illness strikes,  or downsizing makes our job superfluous,  we realize we've been standing on ground that washes away beneath our feet.   Prayer brings us back to solid ground, to the rock of faith in one greater than ourselves, to the commitments that give life its truest meaning.  Prayer bends our attention away from ourselves back toward God, and then to those who have been entrusted to our love and practical care:   family, friends, community, and especially those who lack the blessings we have been given so abundantly.

Standing on the rock of faith we can do great things.   Marshalling every bit of talent God has given us,  drawing courage from places somewhere deep inside that we never knew existed,  we get out of bed,  say our prayers, and go to work.   It is indeed God's work,   opus Dei,    but it is also ours,  labor noster.     In this month when we celebrate Labor Day,  let us hold them together.

(This reflection was taken from a longer reflection entitled:  Prayer and Work,  by Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, that appears in the September  2014 missalette:  GIVE US THIS DAY.)