6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C , Sunday 17th February 2019
A Little Recap. Last week we considered how we may have surrendered to the tyranny of intrusive media and become slaves to the fashion of being feverishly busy. We resolved to start reclaiming our time but the task requires perseverance well beyond one week.
Giving Time.
We can now consider using our reclaimed time for prayer, in other words to talk to God as in a conversation with a friend. If we neglect to spend time with our friends the relationship will wither but if we value it, we can rebuild it by gradually resuming our conversations. It's not the quantity but the quality of these exchanges that matters; mindfulness is the key to quality prayer.
Everyday Language.
The words we use in this conversation may appear fixed and indeed in some situations they are as in the Mass or in the Rosary. We should not hesitate to talk to God in our everyday language as He knows our thoughts, and trying to wrap up a request, a word of praise or thanks in formal language, distances us from God. At the end of this note is a list of resources which may provide ideas to refresh our prayer vocabulary and give it new perspective.
How our Prayers are Answered.
No prayer is ever unheard by God but is sometimes responded to with graces more suited to our real needs and the needs of those for whom we pray. Grace means gift; God’s gifts to us are given freely in the sacraments and in response to our prayers and actions in keeping with our lives as baptised Christians. The gift we may receive may be the strength to endure our current difficulty or the inspiration how to resolve the matter.
Fixed Time for Prayer.
We now need to set markers for ourselves to remind us to pray; say first thing in the morning, last thing at night, when we sit down to eat or pass a church and any signpost, we choose to use to trigger a brief conversation with God.
The following resources may help: www.sacredspace.ie Irish Jesuits website Holy Rosary Audio from App Store (Free) The Glenstal Book of Prayer from Benedictines for Kindle Laudate The most popular free Catholic App from App Store
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