Prayer and Intercession

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the action of God in our lives that is associated with our prayer.

Prayer in our Day

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah praises the success of the Word.

* [55:10–11] The efficacy of the word of God recalls 40:5, 8. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 55, n.d.)

Psalm 34 is praise for Deliverance from Trouble.

* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Lord’s Prayer.

* [6:9–13] Matthew’s form of the “Our Father” follows the liturgical tradition of his church. Luke’s less developed form also represents the liturgical tradition known to him, but it is probably closer than Matthew’s to the original words of Jesus. (Matthew, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)

Julie Kalkowski comments that teaching us to pray is yet another example of how much our God loves us. Being well acquainted with our human frailties, God constructed a prayer that would help us move beyond our earthly fears and doubts so we are able to see and respond to our neighbors in need. The more she has pondered this prayer the last few days, the more she has become captivated by its simplicity and power in each line. 

Our Father who art in heaven,:

This line grounds us and reminds us who we are and whom we belong to.  

hallowed be thy name,: 

God’s name is holy, sacred…remember that.

thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

God is planting the seed that our communities and our world can, one day, become more like God’s kingdom.

Give us this day our daily bread;

We are being given permission to ask for what we need whether its food or some other need or request for help.   

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

The older I get, the more I have come to understand the power of forgiveness.  One of my favorite lines from The Color Purple by Alice Walker is that “Meanness kills.”  It not only harms other people, it also hurts us. Holding on to grudges and clinging to past hurts diminishes the quality of our lives along with our capacity for compassion. How can we help God’s kingdom come if we can’t forgive ourselves and each other?

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. 

God is encouraging us to stay to course—to pursue building God’s kingdom in the here and now.  Don’t get sidetracked by others or by your own desires. (Kalkowski, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Pardon your brother and sister,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Pardon, that you may be pardoned. In doing this, nothing is required of the body. It is the will that acts. You will experience no physical pain - you will have nothing less in your home. Now in truth, my brothers and sisters, you see what an evil it is that those who have been commanded to love even their enemy do not pardon a penitent brother or sister." (quote from Sermon 210,10) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15 comments that rather than give us a specific set of instructions, Jesus taught us a way to pray that both reveals God’s heart to us and invites us to attune our hearts to his (Matthew 6:7-15).

Today, pray the Our Father slowly. With each petition, think about how it reveals God’s heart. Don’t worry if you are praying “correctly.” Just praise God with all your heart for his never-ending love, compassion, and mercy for you!

“Jesus, may my prayer today lead me to the heart of the Father.” (Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Hebrew understanding of the power of the word to make people and events present in more than a symbolic representation. The more refined liturgical nature of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew is compared to the disjointed intercessions in Luke that may be closer to Jesus prayer. Friar Jude reminds us that forgiveness requires an open heart that recognizes the different gifts of the children of God.

Barbara Holmes reminds us of the forgotten gifts of early Christianity, particularly from its African legacies. 

This desert may initially seem barren, dull, and colorless, but eventually our perceptions start to change…. Here we empty ourselves of our own obstacles to God. In the space of this emptiness, we encounter the enormity of God’s presence…. The ammas [Desert Mothers] teach us that the desert becomes the place of a mature repentance and conversion toward transformation into true radical freedom. [1]

We are in need of those values central to African monasticism and early Christian hospitality; they include communal relationships, humility, and compassion. Laura Swan sums up these virtues in the word apatheia, defined as “a mature mindfulness, a grounded sensitivity, and a keen attention to one’s inner world as well as to the world in which one has journeyed.” [2] Inevitably, the journey takes each of us in different directions; however, by virtue of circumstances or choice, each of us will at some point in our lives find ourselves on the outskirts of society listening to the silence coming from within. During these times, we realize that contemplation is a destination as well as a practice. (Holmes, 2023)

We can invoke the Spirit to lead us to the time and manner of prayer that we most need for our particular circumstances.

References

Holmes, B. (2023, February 28). Recognizing Our Lost History — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/recognizing-our-lost-history-2023-02-28/ 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 55. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/55?10 

Kalkowski, J. (2023, February 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022823.html 

Matthew, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6? 

Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/02/28/619984/ 

Psalms, PSALM 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?4 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Your Heavenly Father Knows What You Need. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=feb28 

Healing Mercy and Grace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the Spirit in the Word of God to clarify our needs and mission of service.

Healing Ministry

The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims Jesus as the Great High Priest.

* [4:14–16] These verses, which return to the theme first sounded in Heb 2:16–3:1, serve as an introduction to the section that follows. The author here alone calls Jesus a great high priest (Heb 4:14), a designation used by Philo for the Logos; perhaps he does so in order to emphasize Jesus’ superiority over the Jewish high priest. He has been tested in every way, yet without sin (Heb 4:15); this indicates an acquaintance with the tradition of Jesus’ temptations, not only at the beginning (as in Mk 1:13) but throughout his public life (cf. Lk 22:28). Although the reign of the exalted Jesus is a theme that occurs elsewhere in Hebrews, and Jesus’ throne is mentioned in Heb 1:8, the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) refers to the throne of God. The similarity of Heb 4:16 to Heb 10:19–22 indicates that the author is thinking of our confident access to God, made possible by the priestly work of Jesus. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls Levi.

* [2:14] As he passed by: see note on Mk 1:16–20. Levi, son of Alphaeus: see note on Mt 9:9. Customs post: such tax collectors paid a fixed sum for the right to collect customs duties within their districts. Since whatever they could collect above this amount constituted their profit, the abuse of extortion was widespread among them. Hence, Jewish customs officials were regarded as sinners (Mk 2:16), outcasts of society, and disgraced along with their families. He got up and followed him: i.e., became a disciple of Jesus.

* [2:15] In his house: cf. Mk 2:1; Mt 9:10. Lk 5:29 clearly calls it Levi’s house.

* [2:16–17] This and the following conflict stories reflect a similar pattern: a statement of fact, a question of protest, and a reply by Jesus.

* [2:17] Do not need a physician: this maxim of Jesus with its implied irony was uttered to silence his adversaries who objected that he ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mk 2:16). Because the scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous, they were not capable of responding to Jesus’ call to repentance and faith in the gospel. (Mark, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that we are invited to move more deeply into the mission of Christ – to become more practically one with Him in saving the created order.

You and I are each called to attend to the Word of God to know good from evil - to embrace God’s plan and God’s way of accomplishing that plan in large and small ways.  To do this we need to know the real world around us – how it works, how all creation collaborates in existence in order to accomplish God’s plan.  Thus, the presence of Christ and the meaning of his spoken word is always growing in us.

The second point that emerges for me today as foundational for living more deeply in Christ, is the dual call of today’s Gospel passage.  Like Levi, we are called to make everything secondary to following Christ – to coming and seeing what he has in store for us.  Saint Ignatius of Loyola calls this invitation the capacity to discern what God is doing and to join God in that doing.

Like Levi we are also called to bring our friends and acquaintances close to Jesus.  To share our goods with them and with him and to experience the community of nonjudgmental love.  The Church accomplishes its mission most perfectly when, like Jesus, we share compassionate relationship with sinners as easily as we do the saints in our lives.  Jesus (and we) answers the call to serve the sinner, the ill, the broken; not those who do not want or need God’s help. (Burke, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “No physician can avoid the arena of sickness,” by Gregory of Nazianzus (330 - 390 AD).

"When Jesus is attacked for mixing with sinners, and taking as his disciple a despised tax collector, one might ask: What could he possibly gain by doing so? (Luke 15:2) Only the salvation of sinners. To blame Jesus for mingling with sinners would be like blaming a physician for stooping down over suffering and putting up with vile smells in order to heal the sick." (excerpt from ORATION 45, ON HOLY EASTER 26) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16 comments that Scripture is filled with assurances of God’s deep love for us and his never-ending mercy. But sometimes Scripture can cut us to the heart as well. It can convict us of sin and warn us of the dangers of disobedience. That’s why God’s word is “able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Once our eyes are opened to our true motivations, we can begin to make the necessary course corrections in our thinking and in our actions.

This is the power of God’s word! It can lead you from resentment to forgiveness, from fear to trust, and from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ. It can change your heart in all the ways it needs changing.

Try it yourself. Read the Gospel passage for today slowly and carefully. Does a phrase or an image stand out? Ponder it and see what God wants to reveal to you. Then, if necessary, act on it, and watch how God’s word becomes “living and effective” in your own life!

“Lord, open your word to me!” (Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Hebrew understanding of the actualization of the Word of God. We speak the Word that has the power to recreate the world in God’s image. Friar Jude asks about our outreach in table fellowship with the alienated and those in need of healing.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) was Isaiah’s response to God’s call. He invites us to try this simple “Here I Am” prayer from spiritual director and writer Teresa Blythe as a way to become available to God.

Resolve to be in prayer for at least five minutes. Do not answer the phone or allow yourself to be distracted from your goal.

Be seated and say to yourself, “Here I am seated, doing nothing. I will do nothing for five minutes” (or longer, depending on the time you set for yourself).

Begin noticing your own bodily presence—how your body feels next to the chair; how your feet feel against the floor. Relax your body. Notice what you feel inside.

Now notice the presence of all that is around you. Say to yourself, “Here I am in the presence of the room (garden, chapel, wherever you are).” Be aware of the furniture, walls, and any pets or people in the room. Just be present and silent in your environment. Relax even more.

Now say to yourself, “Here I am in the presence of God.” Repeat silently to God, “Here I am.” Bask in the presence of the Holy One until your time goal has been reached. (Rohr, 2019)

We contemplate our relationship with Jesus and how the healing of our wounds points to our role in helping others.

References

Burke, E. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011423.html 

Hebrews, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4?12 

Mark, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?13 

Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/01/14/584326/ 

Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8 

Rohr, R. (2019, September 26). Responding to the Call. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/responding-to-the-call-weekly-summary-2023-01-14/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Many Sinners Were Sitting with Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jan14