The Power of Prayer

16^TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME – B

Mark 6:30-34

Podcast: Australian Catholic Radio Online:
http://cradio.org.au/talks-and-resources/homilies/fr-vladimir-echalas-solt/16th-sunday-ordinary-time/ 

      After the first mission of the Twelve they reported to Jesus all they had done and taught.  The first thing that Jesus told them was to go to a lonely place all by themselves and take rest.  While crossing to the other side of the lake for the much needed rest, the people must have heard where they were going and went there before the Twelve.  When they reached the shore, Jesus saw them, took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

      Psalm 63 expresses the longing of our soul to be with God:  “O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.  My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water.  So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.”

After a day’s work, don’t we look forward to being at home with our family for a deserved day’s rest?   Towards the end of the week, the weekend rest with our loved ones; once a year, we take off for the much awaited holiday; and most of all the retirement after working for a number of years.  We long for rest just like any other mechanical machines to re-charge and invigorate with new energy and zest otherwise we experience burn out. This is true to the whole of creation when it rests after sunset to rise again the following morning refreshed.

      When the batteries of our laptops, cameras and mobiles are spent, we can’t use them unless we re-charge them or else they are good for nothing even if they are that expensive. In the same way when the battery of our life runs out, we can only re-charge it with prayer. 

Our soul being organic and alive also needs re-charging!  And so how do re-charge spiritually?  What else but through prayer.  But how much do we value our prayer life?  In this social networking age, the day will not be complete without spending some time in facebook, twitter and emails because we want to stay connected with friends.  Some even feel naked if they do not have their mobile phones with them.  And if our gadgets do not have the signal, we panic because we are cut off from the world; do we panic or feel naked when we are not connected with God?  Prayer connects us to God and we  do not need expensive gadgets to do that.  It does not cost us to pray.  We just have to commit our time to be with God the way we want to spend our time with our loved ones.

      In response to this Gospel let us commit a specific time to be with God everyday.  At least three minutes for a start; choose a corner in your house where nobody can disturb you; shut the TV and computer off;  no phone calls!  Just being with God and  simply bask in His presence.   Read a passage from the Bible; evaluate God’s movement in your life during the day; or just being quiet.   

A man without a prayer life is like a traveller who does not know where he is going…