Prayer: 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

(Listen to this homily here).

            In the fall of 2006 my best friend and I both entered seminary at St. John Vianney on the campus of the University of St. Thomas.  This decision came after four years of college in which we talked a lot about where we were at.  One day I wanted to be a priest and he wanted to get married.  The next day it was the opposite!  Six years later I was ordained a priest.  Three months later he left seminary.  And he did so in a big way—he drove directly from seminary to a date!

            We are still best friends to this day and I consider this man a brother.  I am blessed in that we talk about the blessings and challenges we each face in the vocation to which God has called us.  Frequently he quotes the verses we heard from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: “a married man is anxious about the things of the world…”  Coming into marriage with a deep prayer life, he has described the transition into learning to pray with a wife and now a child.  He points out that I am blessed in getting to be at Mass every day, having extended periods of prayer time—in silence—and having a unique focus on God’s work in the world.  I remind him of his own wonderful call—he has a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter and gets the chance to walk with them every day.

            This morning I would like to speak a bit about prayer.  I want to give you a few basic principles and then two ideas which can help you grow in prayer every day. 

            First, pray where you are, not where you aren’t.  Part of our prayer experience follows our life experience.  The prayer of a child, teenager, college student, newly married, parent, empty-nesters and seniors may all look different.  For instance, if you are a young mother, your prayer should be as a young mother, not as a priest! 

            Second, pray as you can, not as you can’t.  A great example here is to consider our experience at Mass.  As a priest, I am blessed (as well as many of our empty-nesters and seniors) to focus throughout the Mass because I don’t have four kids to take care of.  Over and over again I have heard young parents lament, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.”  (Well, you always do if you receive the Eucharist).  My response, “Grab the pew in front of you and hold on for dear life!  Survive!”  You young parents are called to bring your kids to Jesus and it is okay that your prayer at Mass is more of survival than deep contemplation because you are following Christ as a parent.

            Third, pray at the same time, in the same way and in the same place.  This is what successful pray-ers share in common, whatever their state of life or vocation.  Again, this may look different for different people. 

            There are two daily forms of prayer that we can all incorporate into our individual or family lives.  And they’re simple.  The first is grace before meals.  If you’re like me and you like food, you’re probably getting three meals a day.  Thank God for each of these meals before you eat.  Before I stuff my face with nachos and have a barley soda while watching the Superbowl, I better be sure to offer God thanks.

            Also consider prayer to connect with your sleeping patterns.  Each of us, unless you are a college student, goes to bed each night and wake up in the next morning.  Offer to God a quick prayer when you get up—“Thank you, God, for another day and please help me today.”  End your day with another—“Lord, I am grateful for x, y and z.  Thanks.”

            I have witnessed my best friend and his wife develop an inspiring tradition in his home.  Part of their nighttime routine with their daughter is to pray together.  This consisted of simple prayers of thanksgiving, intercession for their family and an Our Father.  I was there when they began this when she was a baby—it was awesome to see them beginning to form their child in a rhythm of prayer even before she could understand.

            If you do the above—pray before meals, when you wake up and when you go to bed, you will have prayed five times during the day.  You are well on your way to establish a daily rhythm of praying.

            Finally, I will leave you with a common phrase that holds deep wisdom for you and me: the family that prays together stays together.