Prayer Works; Don’t Stop!

It is hard to persist in prayer. It is easy to get discouraged.

We know, in our heart of hearts, that what we are praying for is what we really need. We do not want to suffer any more when God can just give us what we ask. He’s God. He can do it.

Yes, He can give us what we pray for. He will give us that and so much more. He loves us and wants to give us the very best. He listens to our prayers and answers them.

Since He’s God He thoroughly knows what is good, and when we should have it. He has prepared a place for us in Heaven; nothing will every be greater than that!

But now, right now, we ask Him for what we want right now. He listens. He gives us what we want. Don’t stop asking.

written by Laura Weston, widow of Deacon Michael

So we have a second day in a row where we have St. Paul talking to the Galatians, and giving examples of being fairly obnoxious. They described it yesterday twice how he went up to Peter and tells Peter, “Peter, you are wrong!”

And then, as you were smiling, “Oh, you stupid Galatians!

He doesn’t mince words. And then we have combined with that the Gospel readings where yesterday Jesus gave us a version of the Our Father and today He is telling us about prayer and God’s response to prayer, and that we are to be persistent.

So what is the message that we are receiving here? What is going on?

And the responsorial says, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. He has come to His people.” They put a period there. This is in the Christian prayer book. “He has come to his people to set them free.”

He has come to His people to set them free.

So what is there behind those things that we have Paul taking somewhat obnoxious positions, using language that isn’t the most temperate. We have Jesus telling us about prayer. And we have “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel who has come to His people and set them free.

So we have encompassed in those things first of all, the humanity and the divinity of Christ. “God has come to His people.”

The second, the crucifixion. Paul love to preach Christ crucified. That is the act by which he has come to His people to set them free.

And we have what St. John refers to as the Word. The coming of the Word in Christ.

And in all of those things we see God coming to us and giving us the means for salvation. How does that lead to Paul’s position?

Paul, like our clergy, like your priests here, like the deacons, like the whole Catholic Church has one purpose. One purpose alone. That is to bring people to God. To bring them to spend all eternity in Heaven with God. That’s its purpose.

So when Paul sees Peter and the Galatians saying, “Yeah, okay. We believe in God. We believe in all of these things.” And then going off a tangent that does not contain the truth necessary for the salvation of souls he gets upset. “Wait a minute. Just stop. Okay, I gave you the truth. What are all these things that are going to cause people problems? Why are you taking them away from the truth?” “Peter, you know better. You know circumcision is a problem and you know that all of these things that the Jews impost upon themselves don’t need to be transferred over to the salvation of souls. Why are you doing it? Stop.”

“Oh stupid Galatians. I come and tell you the truth necessary for your salvation and what do you do? You stray. You come up with embellishments.”

That’s what Paul is all upset about.

Did you listen to what Pope Francis said yesterday on the issue of abortion. He equated, and there’s some translation issue on that, he equated abortionists, and the people who get abortions, equivalent with someone who goes out and hires a hit man or contract killer. That is not a statement of sweetness and light. Because again you see the variance from the truth. And what is the truth that we are dealing with? And how do we see that in what Jesus is teaching us in the gospel of yesterday and today?

Jesus says, “I love you. I want to die for you. I want to do everything necessary for your salvation.” And they go, “Yeah, but how do we pray?” and He tells them. “I’m going to tell you how to pray.”

He’s doing the same thing today. He says, “Look. I’m human. I understand. I’ve lived with you. I am part of you. I am human. I am of human condition. I know sometimes it’s hard to pray. I gave you a prayer. It’s easy. Let’s go there.”

But the other thing is, don’t give up. All of this is for salvation. “I am proclaiming the kingdom of God. I am giving you the means to spend all eternity in the kingdom of God. Don’t start praying and stop. Be persistent. Pray constantly. Prayer works. The efficacy of prayer. Why will you stop?”

“Oh it gets boring.” Or, like I gave you the example of the lady yesterday, who thought the rosary didn’t work for her because she was all tense and started praying the rosary, she fell asleep. Don’t stop.

Now, it’s a test sometimes when you have children. “Why should I have to pray for them even now? They’re sixty-five years old” Or sixty eight years old in John’s case. He’s still praying for John Michael.

Pray constantly because God is not going to give you something bad. He’s going to hear you. He may not respond on our time, but He is going to hear you and he’s going to respond.

Jesus says, “If then you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more with the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit on those who ask Him.”

Ask. Constantly. And what are we asking in the combination of what St. Paul and Jesus is saying? We are asking from the truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ encompassed in His Holy Catholic Church.

“We have the truth. Stop varying from the truth, Robert.” That’s St. Paul. We have the truth. Pray to God because He is the Truth. Pray to Him constantly.

Here’s how you pray… that’s Jesus. Pray constantly because all of this, all of this that he is saying, all that St. Paul is saying, is for one purpose: that you and I and every single person who has ever lived on the face of the earth or will ever live anywhere… who knows, we may have a colony in Mars… the whole purpose is that those people, at the end of their earthly lives can come and spend all eternity with God in Heaven.

That’s it. And we need to keep in mind when we read about Paul and we read these readings about Christ and prayer, when we look at the gospel, we look at the teachings of the Church, that is the single purpose. That’s why we’re doing all of this. This is why you are getting the food to give you the strength to get through this day. Because the Church is here for our salvation. The Church’s only purpose is to bring Robert, and Margene, and me and John and everybody to spend all eternity in Heaven with God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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