SHOUTING AT PRAYER IS A SIGN OF SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS.

 Thursday, June 22, 2023

St Paulinus of Nola, B. (Opt Mem)

SS John Fisher, B. & Thomas More, M. (Opt Mem)


First Reading. 2 Corinthians 11: 1-11

Psalm. 111: 1-4, 7-8 (R. 7a)

Gospel. Matthew 6: 7-15


TOPIC FOR REFLECTION.

SHOUTING AT PRAYER IS A SIGN OF SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS.

Let us give thanks to God who has called us to become a member of His Church, the mystical body of Christ.

Prayer is not just good, but very much important in our daily lives.

Prayer is simply defined as an act of communicating with the Lord.

We see God as a divine being, and we all are human beings; as such our common factor is "being" while the difference is that, He (God) is divine and we are human.

As a divine, He has no limitations, He is above space and time; however, as humans, we have limitations being governed by space and time.

Therefore, as a being in the image and likeness of God, we already have things in common with the Lord. The creation account of Genesis 1:7 "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being"

The breath of God which made us living beings is the presence of God in each one of us. This breath is the Spirit of God in us, and it makes us desire God always.

CCC No. 27 says:  The desire for God is written in the human heart because man is created by God and for God, God never ceases to draw man to Himself...

In that case, since God created us for Himself, and by the virtue of His Spirit in us, it simply means that God lives in us. His presence in our lives draws us close to Him in prayer. We desire Him often.

Meanwhile, if we admit that God lives in us, why do we babble in prayer? Why do we use many words in prayer, worst still, without faith?

My faith is that, if God lives in me, it means He is aware of every single thing in me, then why must I use many unintelligent words in prayer? I said to myself, must I convince Him with too many words before He can grant me my desires?

In today's Gospel, in verse 8 of it, Jesus said: Do not be like them, the pagans who use many words in prayer, trying to convince their gods; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

Then, He taught us "The Lord's Prayer"

My dear, in prayer, all that is needed is faith. Faith is the pillar of prayer, just as we know that a building that has no pillar will collapse, it is the same way prayer will become meaningless if faith is lacking.

In summary, if we believe that God lives in us, let us learn to trust Him in prayer. Faith, no matter how long, makes prayer answered, except it's not God's will.

***Communicate to God with respect, the way you communicate with your parents with respect.

***If your parents will not tolerate you shouting when discussing with them, know that God will not be happy with such too.

***If your parent wants you to go straight to the point when communicating with them, know that God too will appreciate it if you go straight to the point in prayer.

***If you will want people who communicate with you to trust you, know that God will appreciate it better if we exercise faith in our prayer to Him.

Prayer is all about communication, and every communication needs feedback, and this makes it a discussion.

So, learn to discuss with God, dialogue with Him, and do not shout or command Him. It is a big sign of disrespect for the Divine.

Shouting, commanding, and babbling with many words at prayer are signs of spiritual emptiness and lack of faith. 

Please, reflect on this statement below 👇 

(It is a serious matter for Christians who may fall into these categories)

Peace ✌️ be with you.

Rev.  Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.

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