Prayer is something we are taught

Homily for July 24, 2016 (17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C)
Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:2-14; Luke 11:1-8

The first prayer I can remember saying is one that I offered on my knees at the side of my bed, with my brothers, father or mother at my side.  It may be familiar to you:Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.I soon added, “God bless every one and make me a good boy.”  (I’m still working on that last part.)

That prayer reminded me of two things:  (1) my mortality; and (2) more importantly, that my life was in the hands of a loving and caring God, one whom I could trust “my soul to keep.”  The scripture readings for this Sunday’s celebration of the Eucharist are replete with similar reminders of God’s love and care for us.

Jesus reminds his disciples in Luke 11 that God is always ready to give us what we need and what will be best for us.  By being persistent in prayer, we realize our dependence on God and that we cannot supply all of our own needs.  We also have the opportunity to reflect on what we’re asking for:  Is it something that’s really essential?  Why do I want it?  Will it make me a better person and disciple?  Do I have faith in God’s love and providence?

Abraham’s encounter with God seems like a biblical and sometimes comical version of the stereotypical encounter between a merchant and buyer haggling over a sale.  In this case, however, the stakes couldn’t be higher: the life and death of the entire communities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  God is revealed as one who is just, merciful and willing to listen with patience.  (Unfortunately, it appears that God couldn’t find even ten innocent people in those corrupt cities.  See Genesis 19:1-29.)

In his letter to the church at Colossae, St. Paul invites them to consider their baptism and immersion in the Paschal Mystery: though dead in their sins they were given new life because God loved us so much that he gave the world Jesus his Son, who freely and completely gave his life—body and blood—for us.  It is that new life that we celebrate at Mass, share with others, and pray to realize more fully.

Remembering that first experience of prayer led me to recall something else:  prayer is something we learn and are taught.  I am grateful that my mom and dad, people in their early 20’s with all of the challenges of raising four young children, made the time to teach us to pray and begin to develop a relationship with the Lord.  Although my prayers, like my faith, are a little more complex, I’m still working on that relationship. +