Scripture:
1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59
Luke 19:45-48
Reflection:
Jesus had a very intense concern about prayer. ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” Nowhere in the Gospels is there such an emotional and physical expression of anger at the absence of prayer. ‘And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.’ Mk 11: 15. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen.” John’s Gospel is even more animated “And he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables.” John 2:15
We can hardly miss and are surprised to see how important prayer was to Jesus! The most used word for prayer in the Greek NT-inspired text is proseúchomai i.e., a deep mutual desire between God and man. Both the noun and verb together are mentioned like129 times in the New Testament! There are many other words for prayer! How often we see Jesus at prayer! He spends all night in prayer before He picks his Apostles! He prays in the Garden. The last prayer of Jesus before He dies on the Cross is in Luke’s Gospel. “Into your hands, I commit my Spirit.”
Here are some inspiring quotes about prayer from the saints:
- To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement. -St Augustine
- For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God. -Saint Theresa of Avila
- Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God. -Billy Graham
- Quicken your faith in the Divine Presence and remain immersed in God, sunk in that immense sea of Love. -L 1 73 St Paul of Cross
- What has a person to fear who lives in the arms and Bosom of God. -1 154 St Paul of the Cross
- Big sign billboard: WE NEED TO TALK -signed God.
Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.