“PRAYER”

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 11:1-13

Every Sunday in our place, in Dumalag, I visit the sick people and give communion to them. One of them, she’s a paralyzed woman, had a stomach pain, and it was extremely painful. But she called God in prayer.

Just yesterday, I went to our dying neighbor. She was crying. She was not relaxed, afraid. But when we prayed, she became peaceful. And she prayed.

I have seen some people who are sick and suffer, and dying. Some of them have already passed away. They are very sick and they suffer very much. In their sickness and pain, I could see that they really pray with all of their hearts. I could see that their prayer is true.

The gospel of Luke is the gospel of prayer. The gospel of Luke speaks of prayer many times. Jesus prayed at his baptism. He went to the desert to pray, He spent the whole night in prayer before choosing his disciples. He prayed in the transfiguration. He prayed while he suffered on the cross.

Jesus was prayerful. It moved his disciples to ask to be taught to pray. Jesus recommends that the quality of our prayer should be persevering. It is necessary to pray, pray, always pray, without ever ceasing. Prayer must be true and coming from the heart.

Jesus assured us that God hears our prayer. Ask and it will be given. Search and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. When we pray, what God expects to us above all is our trust, that is - a prayer from the heart and a prayer that is true. He may choose not to answer in the way that we would like. He has a better plan for us. God knows best for us for he sees further than we do.

So, we keep on praying and trusting God for He loves us. During this Eucharist, we shall all pray together to our Father, who is in Heaven. We pray not just today but always.

Let be our prayer like a prayer of the sick and dying people who pray to God with all hearts.