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Prayer and Action
September 11, 2007

Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Father Patrick Butler, LC

Luke 6: 12-19
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to pray, to take advantage of this time to converse with you. Jesus, you are God, yet you often prayed the entire night. Enlighten me with your Spirit so that I might know how much I need prayer, how it enriches my active life. What is important is not so much to do things for the sake of doing something, but to do your holy will out of love.

Petition:Call me to you, Lord Jesus, and remind me of my personal mission.

1. A Place and a Time for Prayer Frequently the Gospel tells me that Jesus prayed to his Father. What was his prayer like? First, he seeks out a place that is appropriate for praying. Secondly, he dedicates a significant amount of time to prayer. I see him departing to climb a mountain in order to spend an entire night in prayer. I can certainly learn from my Lord’s example. Imitating him, my prayer life can be enriched.

2. A Special Calling Perhaps Jesus’ prayer is a bit longer than usual on this occasion. When there is an important decision to be made, he consults his Father to know his will. He does not improvise when calling twelve of his followers to be his apostles, his “sent ones”, his representatives. When Jesus calls me to do a special mission for his Kingdom, he also ensures that it accords with the eternal plan of the Father.

3. A Channel for God’s Grace Having spent the night in prayer, Jesus has prepared himself to give generously of himself the following day. United to his Father, the source of all good, he ensures that his actions channel this goodness towards those who are enslaved to evil spirits or in need of divine healing. Of course, Jesus is God, and he has that power in himself by his own right. However, he wants to give me an example of how to be a branch united to the vine, in order to produce fruit that will last.

Conversation with Christ: I do not know how to pray as I ought. Teach me how to pray, prepare a place, and set aside some time exclusively for prayer. So often I act without praying, relying only on my own ingenuity and intelligence. Make me see that I need your wisdom. Help me to ensure, through prayer, that my actions are conformed to your will.

Resolution: I will strive to make at least one spontaneous prayer to God today, amid the activities of my daily life.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Other Articles by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
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Are You Doing Your Share of Jesus' Work?

September 10, 2007

Col 2:6-15 / Lk 6:12-19

Have you ever imagined what it must have been like to be one of those twelve apostles called by Jesus to be his followers. Imagine spending three years, night and day, with Jesus himself, and being close enough to watch him respond to every kind of challenge, to watch him get tired and fall asleep, to watch him laugh and play with little children, and to watch him stay so closely connected to the Father. But best of all, imagine the thrill of knowing that Jesus had picked and chosen YOU to carry on his work. What an honor! What a trust! If only you'd been there.

Well, of course, you weren't. But Jesus is giving each one of us the same invitation that he gave to those original apostles: "Come, follow in my footsteps, and do the work that I do." And what exactly is Jesus' work? Reconciliation. Bringing people together into friendship with God and with one another, and helping to take away everything that stands in the way of that friendship.

Communion with God and his people is the ultimate purpose and joy of our lives, and building that communion is the task of every one of us every day. So there's the question for the day: What is your role in reconciling people with God and with one another? As we work to build communion, are you part of the problem or part of the solution? With your particular gifts, where could you make the best contribution to building up God's family?

Good questions for us all. So be sure to listen to the answers.