KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH GOD ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Tuesday, 12^thSeptember 2017,

Twenty Third Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary

Col 2: 6-15;

Ps 144: 1-2, 8-11;

Lk 6: 12-19

KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH GOD

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus keeping touch with his Abba Father in prayer. Some might wonder what Jesus would have to pray about. Such a question may reveal our limited concept of what prayer is. It is not just a question or asking for things. It is even less a question of fulfilling a religious duty of “saying our prayers”. Prayer is making contact with God - the beginning and end of all things. It makes sense that Jesus would have wanted to be in intimate contact with his Father and to spend long periods of time with him.

Jesus was the Son of the Father and His most important relationship was the one with the Father in Heaven. Thus, His prayer was one that was natural to His divine life and essence. Spending the night in prayer, separated from everything but His Father, was a normal expression of His perfect love and communion with the Father. But His time in prayer was also a normal way for Him to prepare for the decisions He would make the next day. Again, it’s not that He needed to pray so as to make the right choice. Rather, It was a way of daily surrendering His human nature to the will of the Father in perfection so as to continue daily living the Father’s will in this world.

Jesus also sets a wonderful precedence for us. We, unlike our Lord, We do not walk in perfect harmony with God each and every day and each moment of the day. Thus, while Christ’s prayer was an earthly expression of Him living who He already was, our prayer is a surrender to whom we are called to become. We must become Christ, striving to live in perfect communion with Him and in accord with the perfect will of the Father.

Reflect, today, upon the need you have to spend time in prayer so as to enter more deeply in union with our Lord. Reflect, especially, upon the importance of doing so prior to making the various decisions you need to make in life. Pray before you act and allow our Lord to be the one who enters into your life and directs you in accord with His holy will.

Prayer: Lord, give me a heart that longs to be with You in prayer, each and every day. Help me to daily surrender my entire life to You without reserve. As I surrender my life, I thank You for entering in and directing all my actions. My life is Yours, dear Lord, my life is Yours. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.