Fr. Don Talafous, writing in HOMILIES for Weekdays, offers us another reflection on prayer based on the Scriptures for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent:
How can God get a word in?
Perhaps we can let today's words from Jesus (Mt 6: 7-15), helped by Isaiah (55:10-11), remind us that our prayer includes listening and not simply saying words. At times we act in prayer to God in the same way as a person sitting nervously with a new acquaintance. We feel we have to be saying something every minute; we find little pauses in the conversation embarrassing. How different it is with someone we know very well; we can sit together, gazing at a fire or listening to music, without feeling that one of us has to be saying something every moment. Jesus says that in prayer we shouldn't rattle on or multiply words. Isn't it true that what our prayer lacks so often is just some space and silence which allow God actually to influence our minds and hearts? The author of Isaiah says that the word of God is like rain or snow that softens the earth and makes it fertile, eventually bringing forth its crops. True prayer is a dialogue and not merely a one-sided conversation dominated completely by us. God's work in us requires that we leave God some opening, a chance to be heard. In our world of so much noise and so little tolerance for silence, it may be hard for us to learn to be quiet before God. But it's definitely worth the effort. In silence we may experience our minds wandering all over the place. To minimize these distractions, it may help to take a phrase from the Gospel or one of the readings and keep coming back to those inspired words gently, while trying to focus our attention. Silence and attentiveness can be learned. This may be a helpful way to stay with what is going on at Mass, too; coming back to some favorite phrase.
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