SPIRITUAL LIVING
Prayer and Devotions
The Best Scenario Possible
by Father Cliff Ermatinger, LC
Practice awareness of the presence of God. Invoke God every time you enter and leave your house.
November 17, 2007
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Luke 18: 1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Introductory Prayer: I love you my Lord, because you are love itself. Forgive all that is in me that does not come from your love and does not reflect your love. If I am to become what you want me to be, it will happen only if I allow you to act in me.
Petition: Lord, grant me the trust I need to approach you with confidence and perseverance.
1. The Worst Scenario Possible Christ describes a bad situation – the worst case possible, in fact. The most vulnerable of all people – a widow with no one to do her bidding – is up against a powerful and corrupt judge. She doesn’t let that stop her. She has nothing to lose by pursuing her case. In spite of the humiliation of repeated rejection, she persists and persists, and finally she achieves what she set out to do. Our Lord sets this before us as a model of how we are to pursue the life of prayer. He tells us what shape this is to take: not to become “weary” of prayer; “to call out” to God; and to do this “day and night”. Our Lord wants prayer to accompany the whole of our life.
2. The Best Scenario Possible Christ then describes our reality – the best situation possible. Unlike the earthly judge, we have a judge who is just. Unlike the earthly judge, we have a judge who is a loving, provident Father. Furthermore, Christ tells us that God will be quick in his replies. Nonetheless, most of us are deficient in our prayer life. Few people follow a solid and demanding prayer regimen. They pray now and then: when they feel a particular need for extra help, when they are in trouble or in fear of danger, or when they are especially worried. Sometimes they even reduce prayer to giving God marching orders – along the lines of “my will be done” rather than the original version taught by our Lord. When God doesn’t seem to comply with our wishes, the consumer mentality of our prayer is revealed. That’s the moment to test our purity of intention: Unlike the importunate widow, we have all had a response other than what we expected from God. How we accept it tells us a lot about how much we want God’s will and how much we are attached to our own.
3. Can We Really “Pray Always”? We might think that the injunction to “pray always” is hyperbole, along the lines of “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But our Lord is the Truth, and he is not given to cheap words and slogans. If he says something, he means it: Be perfect, pray always. These are more than suggestions. With regard to prayer, we certainly can pray always. Prayer is more than an activity: Prayer always depends on our relationship with God. Our Lord enjoins us to pray with words, but we know from experience that we cannot always pray with words. So how can we fulfill his command to pray always? If we are in love with God, we think of him morning, noon, and night. We discover his will in everything and set our hearts and minds on him. All we have to do is live in the habitual awareness that we are in his presence and continually lift our hearts and minds to him. We can desire God always; this is praying always. Indeed, it is the best of prayers.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for inviting me into a personal relationship with you. I know I am never far from your thoughts. Please stay close to mine as I cultivate the habit of invoking your presence throughout the day. I long for you and desire you. Help me to keep you at the center of my loving attention.
Resolution: To practice awareness of the presence of God, I will invoke God every time I enter and leave my house. Once that becomes a habit, I will extend this habit until invoking God becomes something that accompanies my every action. I will attempt to invoke God at least five times during this day.
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