Meditation is an ideal way to pray. Using God's word (Lectio Divina) allows me to hear, listen and reflect on what the Lord wants to say to me - to one of his disciples - just like He did two thousand years ago.
The best time to reflect is at the beginning of the day and for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
Prior to going to sleep, read the Mass readings for the next day and then, in the morning, reflect on the Meditation offered on this website.
I hope these daily meditations allow you to know, love and imitate the Lord in a more meaningful way.
God bless you!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Mk 1:29-39 When to Pray

Mk 1:29-39 When to Pray

(Click here for readings)

Rising early in the morning, Jesus went off to pray.

Before Jesus did anything - before he preached; before he healed; before he journeyed or traveled, he always prayed. He never preached, healed or traveled until he knew His Father’s Will. He was a man after His Father’s heart and for that reason alone, he knew why he was on this earth.

Some of us have stressful jobs or, to say the least, highly intense jobs. Those who work in hospitals have it hard. Those who travel, have it hard. Those who are raising a family – yes, they too have it hard. But it would be impossible if we did not know why we were doing it. That’s one of the reasons why I left my career. I couldn’t imagine doing it for the rest of my life. Never did I imagine that the “rock” – Kodak – would turn into dust! “Get a job with Kodak and you have it made for the rest of your life.” That’s what people would say the year I left. Today, from 60,000 employees, the company has been reduced to approximately 3,000 employees. Some “rock”! I learned before they did that there is only one ROCK!

All great men and women throughout history have prayed. That’s how and why they did great things. We know we should pray too. But do we? Do we understand the power of prayer? The value it has? The Saints prove that the power of prayer is capable of overcoming all human limitations or weaknesses. The weak become strong. The most “unlikely to succeed” succeed! A 4’5” saint conquers a nation! Prayer shows the glory and power of God. The command to love your enemy is only possible through a life of prayer. The command to forgive your neighbor, your friend, is impossible – literally – without divine intervention. For this reason, it is so hard to love your enemy and forgive your friend. Most of us do not because most of us do not resort to prayer. And it’s NOT because we don’t know how to, it’s because we’re not ready to do so. Prayer softens the heart, makes it human again, and allows the Lord to write his law into it.

This year everyone’s “To do List” must include 15 to 30 minutes of prayer time. It is essential for nourishment and fulfillment; for grace and peace; for understanding and for life. Find a quiet moment, preferably at the very beginning of the day, to settle in and snuggle up to your favorite Holy book and reflect on the life of our Savior. This is what makes life worth living. Otherwise, we are a fish lost at sea – swimming frantically but for little or no purpose.

A priest once told me that life is lived one day to the next, but reflected upon looking backwards. See how the Lord himself was tested through what he suffered, and how he is able to help those who are being tested (cf. Heb 2:18). He experienced the loss of a friend, rejection and betrayal, ridicule and torture. He lived sleepless nights, endured trial and hardship. He was one like us in everything except in sin – that is, he never gave in or gave up. Because he knows us so well, our Lord can lift us up ever higher! “He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.” The same will happen to you! The power of prayer is timeless.

5 comments:

  1. " “He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.” The same will happen to you! "

    Holding on to these words all day long!!! Just exactly the right words for me at exactly the right time.

    Have the best day!!!

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  2. Thank you for your timely reminder. So happy you changed careers.

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  3. Great Meditation Father!

    So much great advice, especially: This year everyone’s “To do List” must include 15 to 30 minutes of prayer time. It is essential for nourishment and fulfillment; for grace and peace; for understanding and for life. Find a quiet moment, preferably at the very beginning of the day, to settle in and snuggle up to your favorite Holy book and reflect on the life of our Savior. This is what makes life worth living. Otherwise, we are a fish lost at sea – swimming frantically but for little or no purpose.

    As a person who is a "list" maker, I definately need to make sure that I take the time to pray and reflect each and every morning because it really does make or break my day. And I have definately been that fish. Besides raising a family all I want to do is His will and be the apple of His eye. I will share this advice with other's because it has helped me so much.

    I pray you are feeling better.

    God Bless, Rose :)

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  4. Last night while meditating, I thought about how Jesus went away by himself to pray before taking on the next day's 'work'.

    He was God and He needed to ask for the Father's will.

    He was God and He had to get away from all the distractions to talk to and hear the Father's will.

    He was God and He needed time to rejuvenate for the next day's work.

    I am not God, so how could I possibly think I could do anything without prayer, solitude and rest?

    I learn something new every single day from meditating on the Gospel. Some days the line or phrase that I need to meditate on jumps right out at me. And other days, I have to sit with my eyes closed and ask the Lord to show me and read it several times before I 'get it'. And often I think, ok, there's nothing for me here today. Nothing makes sense or touches me in any way. But when I resist the urge to move on and give up and I sit there a little longer, or even start to write something, it starts to flow and He ALWAYS has something to teach me or reveal to me. Often He gives me insight that helps me figure out things I've been stressed about or fills me with understanding that I did not have before and He leads me down the path He wants me to take.

    It didn't always come this easy, I tried for two years before I was able to be consistent. But now I've been doing this every single day for over 6 months. Now I really look forward to what He has to tell me each day. I do mine at the end of the day for the next day, because I'm not a morning person and that works for me.

    I'm sharing this not to preach but to offer encouragement because it has enriched my life so much, helped me know Jesus better and actually understand things that I've heard over and over my entire life but never took the time to investigate.

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  5. This morning at Mass, during his homily, the priest focused on this one sentence from the Gospel, "Everyone is looking for you" (Mark 1:37).
    He talked about how all mankind has this longing in his heart to know God, to seek Him out. And while this is good, he said we need to remember that God sought us first. We need to allow God to satiate this desire to know him. Allow God to reveal himself to us.

    I think we allow Him to do this when we sit before Him quietly, putting all of our distractions aside and just be still. I have a hard time doing this. I want to be journaling, or reading scripture or praying the Rosary, which are all good. But sometimes He speaks to us most profoundly when we are silent and doing nothing but listening.

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