Dear Friends in Christ,
This Sunday’s Gospel shows us an intimate portrait of Our Lord at His most vulnerable. In the prayerful presence of His Father, Jesus shares His heart, revealing what is most important to Him. In this moment of profound trust, Jesus glorifies God, thanks Him for His goodness and intercedes for the Church,
Jesus is the model for all Christian prayer. Throughout the Gospels, the evangelists show us various times that Jesus is in prayer, communing with His Father. After these moments, Jesus does significant things like calling the 12 Apostles and performing great miracles.
In our busy world, some Christians find it difficult to maintain a regular habit of prayer. Life is full of many distractions and, due to these, it is sometimes difficult to quiet our minds and hearts so that we may come to stillness. A good prayer life takes practice and commitment, as well as surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
As we hear about Jesus at prayer, the Lord invites us to consider, again, our own need for prayer. As we do this, we ask ourselves the following questions: Do I pray daily? How do I pray? Do I desire to grow in my prayer life with God? What are those things that keep me from prayer?
As a priest, I am always open to talking with you about how we can grow in the spiritual life. I look forward to such conversations. Let us pray for each other that the work of God may deepen within us so that we have a greater desire for prayer.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael