A Few Words On "The Word"

July 29, 2007
The 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 11:1-13

Plan on Praying!

Have you ever thought about how much planning goes into a big event like the Olympics? Planning a much smaller event like a wedding may take months or years of careful thought and strenuous effort that often culminates in something that lasts only a few hours or a couple of days. Good planning leads to a smooth and enjoyable event. Bad planning can be disastrous.

Despite the fact that planning is vitally important in life, we sometimes just want things to happen. We like action and excitement and planning can often be rather dull and boring. We'd rather spend our time actively trying to accomplish our goals in more obvious ways. However, if we leave planning out, we may never even come close to reaching our objective.

When I sit down to write these reflections I often just want to jump in and begin writing. However, if I don't spend time thinking about the readings I'm not able to write a very good reflection. I have to slow down, think through, and plan out what I'm going to write.

In today's gospel Jesus is talking about something many of us struggle with - prayer! Through a short parable and some encouraging words, Jesus emphasizes how important it is to be perseverant in what we pray for. He says, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Through prayer we're given grace and the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with and love for Jesus grows stronger, spilling over into those we meet. Prayer prepares us to live lives of action that treat others with proper respect and dignity. It reinforces our desire for peace and justice.

In a certain way, prayer is a lot like planning. Just like bad planning or no planning at all leads to a bad event, failing to pray can seriously hinder our role as peacemakers. It's sometimes easier to get out and begin serving people than it is to prayerfully consider the best ways to help and love those we serve. Granted, we shouldn't spend so much time in prayer that we neglect those around us but our lives of service and action should flow out of our prayer life.

Praying certainly isn't always easy. We often ask God tough questions and pray for an end to injustice in the world. Jesus, however, reminds us to persevere in our prayer even when the going gets rough. We must continually work and pray for peace in our world, grounding our actions firmly in a living and active relationship with Jesus.

Reflection Question

In what ways do you find it challenging to make sure that prayer builds up your life as a peacebuilder?

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