Prayer

Lent may seem like a distant memory, but COVID doesn’t. So as our province begins to open up after a third wave, in today's gospel reading, Jesus teaches us to remember three things that ground us spiritually: Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting.

These important spiritual disciplines are, of course, not limited to Lent! They ground the person spiritually and today Jesus is reminding us to take stock of our core motivation. Basically, to take a serious examination of conscience, of why we are doing what we are doing. Fundamentally, we must be guided by our intimacy with God, not how we may want to be seen by others, or by that part of our ego that needs to see ourselves in a certain way that deep down we know is not genuine to our true self and motivations.

 

In our parish we are in the midst of an Alpha Taster. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to hear some basic teachings about who is Jesus, why we need Jesus and why he gave us the gift of God’s very self, the Holy Spirit. Some people are praying for the first time, and it’s wonderful to see such a deepening in faith, especially in the midst of so much turmoil. Whether it’s the stress of parish amalgamation, or the shame of the front-page stories in the media, we need to take authentic stock of who we are and what we are doing.

 

This morning I want to emphasize prayer for those of you who may be new to prayer or even those who have been praying for a long time but are feeling a little dry.

 

At home, by yourself, take two chairs and place them facing one another, separated by a couple of feet. Sit in one and imagine Jesus sitting in the other. Talk to him about whatever comes to mind. Say it out loud, no one is listening except God whose very essence is love. 

 

That’s prayer. A conversation with Jesus.

 

Our church institution is being brought to its knees. Good. God is sovereign and there must be a reason why it is being brought to its knees. That’s a great place from which to pray and to repent. Perhaps God is calling his church to a renewal of prayer; to repentance and toward reconciliation . To a deepening in our total reliance on God.  Good. 

 

You don’t need to be fancy in prayer. It’s doesn’t take advanced degrees in theology to learn how to pray. Prayer is a conversation with God. Have a seat. Talk to God. 

 

Be open to receive God’s peace.