How Do We Pray?

THE GOOD NEWS (29 July 2015)

 

“As JESUS and HIS disciples were on their way, HE entered a village and a woman called Martha welcomed HIM to her house. She had a sister named Mary who sat down at the LORD’s feet to listen to HIS words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving and finally she said, ‘LORD, don’t YOU care that my sister left me to do all the serving?’

 But the LORD answered, ‘Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her’.” – Luke 10:38-42

 

(Many things seem to be necessary in a family: cleaning, preparing meals, looking after the children. If there is no time to listen to others, what is life worth? Perhaps we do many things in the service of GOD and our neighbor; only one thing nevertheless is necessary for all of us: being available for JESUS when HE is present. JESUS is peace and the person who does not attend to HIM in peace does not receive HIM.

 

Our prayer can also be a way of fidgeting like Martha: when we fret in saying prayers, when we use a lot of words to present our worries to the LORD a hundred times over; when the person responsible for the celebration becomes nervous and overly concerned about the perfection of the singing or the homily. To pray is to take time to listen, to meditate in silence on the work of GOD, it is to slow our desires, so as to pay attention only to GOD, secretly present, and slip into HIS will.

 

How strange that in some non-Christian religions, people learn to bring their minds to peace and silence and reach true serenity. Meanwhile, we enter prayer with our concerns and do not let go of them until the prayer is ended.)

 

This is how JESUS CHRIST prays to his FATHER!