real prayer

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Who Taught You To Pray?

2nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: January 14, 2024

Who taught you to pray?

I remember watching my grandmother sitting with a rosary in her hands. There were certain teachers in my Catholic schools who taught basics of prayers. In high school and university I had some different experiences where I deepened my prayer life. I had some priests and spiritual directors who taught me different methods of prayer. There are some good spiritual writers that I have read that taught me more about prayer.

There is a difference between learning prayers and learning to pray. Learning prayers is important at the beginning, but real prayer is mostly about listening and paying attention.

We saw in our first reading the story of the young boy Samuel. It is really a story of him learning to pray. He is hearing a voice calling his name, at first he does not understand. He goes to the old, wise man Eli and asks him what he wants. After a few times Eli realizes what is happening and he tells Samuel that next time he should simply say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” This is such a great and simple prayer.

If you asked me to help in your prayer, the first thing I might encourage you to do is begin each day in silence and in your heart speak this prayer. “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then as you go through your day, truly listen to what God is saying to you. Hear the voice of God in the events, relationships, struggles, good and bad moments of life.

When you go to visit a friend or someone in your family, in your heart pray, “speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Then be ready to notice what God is saying to you in that encounter.

In today’s Gospel, a few disciples begin to follow Jesus and ask about him. Jesus invited them, “Come and See.” This is prayer, to answer the invitation of Jesus, “Come and see.” Everywhere you go in your life, listen for the voice of Jesus, pay attention to God speaking to you in each encounter, in each experience of your life.

I saw a tweet recently by a Cardinal quoting from the famous Austrian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. “If your daily life seems poor to you, don’t blame it. Instead blame yourselves for not being enough poets to discover all of its riches. For with the Creator, nothing is poor.”

Like Samuel, we need to learn to pray. It is more than just learning prayers. We need to learn to listen and pay attention to God speaking to our hearts, in every moment and each situation of our life. We need to hear Jesus inviting us to be with him, “Come and see.”

That simple prayer of Samuel is one that is helpful to each one of us. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Begin each day, begin each experience, with that spirit, ready to listen to God speaking to your heart.

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Praying With Humility

Pharisee-Publican-BasilikaOttobeurenFresko

30th Sunday Ordinary Time

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: October 23, 2022

There is a story about a monk called Brother Bruno.  One night he was at prayer and he was really disturbed by the croaking of a bullfrog.  All his attempts to disrespect the sound were unsuccessful so he shouted from his window, “Quiet!  I’m at my prayers.”

Now Brother Bruno was a saint so his command was instantly obeyed.  Every living creature held its voice so as to create a silence that would be favourable to prayer.

But now another sound intruded on Bruno’s worship – an inner voice that said, “Maybe God is as pleased with the croaking of that frog as with the chanting of your psalms.”  “What can please the ears of God in the croak of a frog?”  was Bruno’s scornful rejoinder.  But the voice refused to give up.  “Why would you think God invented the sound?”

Bruno decided to find out why.  He leaned out of his window and gave the order, “Sing!”  The bullfrog’s measured croaking filled the air to the ludicrous accompaniment of all the frogs in the vicinity.  And as Bruno attended to the sound, their voices ceased to jar for he discovered that, if he stopped resisting them, they actually enriched the silence of the night.

With that discovery Bruno’s heart became harmonious with the universe and, for the first time in his life, he understood what it means to pray.

Any true prayer should lead us to unity, with God, with our fellow human beings, with creation, with the entire universe.  If I am praying, but separated from my fellow human beings, something is wrong with my prayer.  If I am praying, but not one with creation, something is wrong with my prayer.

Jesus describes two men going to pray.  One went home justified, the other did not.  The pharisee prayed, but in a spirit of superiority, with a lack of humility.  In the midst of his prayers, he is looking at other people with contempt, including the tax collector.  The tax collector came to prayer in great humility, recognizing himself as a sinner in need of the mercy of God.

Jesus is not fooled by false piety or by superficial prayer.

Jesus is looking for a humble attitude, not judging others, not showing contempt for others.

Our prayer is not about changing the world, not about changing others.  Humble prayer is about seeing with the eyes of God, is about feeling with the heart of God.

God loves the universe, sees our fellow human beings with eyes of compassion, with a heart of love.

If I am praying, but I see my fellow human beings with contempt rather than compassion, then there is something wrong with my prayer.  If I am praying, but my heart is cold, then there is something wrong with my prayer.

We need to come to God in prayer as the tax collector in the Gospel, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”  Humble prayer will always leads us to be unity with others, with creation.  Humble prayer will help us to see with the eyes of God, feel with the heart of God.

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