Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 25, 2022 Cycle C

by Rev. Jose Maria Cortes, F.S.C.E., Chaplain,
Church of St. Peter, North St. Paul, Minnesota
 

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Sunday Reading Meditations

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

During the following months, we shall ask the Lord to bless our parish, strengthen our faith and grant us the spirit of Christian stewardship in our lives.

This year, our parish theme is “Give thanks to the Lord, who is good, whose mercy endures forever” (Ps 106:1). Psalm 106 is a prayer of thanksgiving for the Lord’s goodness and mercy. The stewardship of prayer is the first and foremost dimension of Christian stewardship.

In today’s second reading, St. Paul reminds us that God is the giver of life: “I charge you before God, who gives life to all things” (1 Tim 6:13). Jesus brought life in abundance to the world. Christian life is a new way of experiencing all things. In Christ, all things become more beautiful, truer and better. Prayer is essential to a life of faith.

Many Christians do not taste this new life because they do not pray, or they pray mechanically, with their minds and lips, but without their hearts, without presenting their deepest needs to God. As St. Augustine says, “your prayer is your desire.”

Why do we need prayer? Without prayer, our hearts become like that of the rich man in the parable, insensitive to God and the needs of others, incapable of receiving God’s consolation: “You received what was good, Lazarus what was bad; now he is comforted, whereas you are tormented” (Lk 16:25). We need God’s comfort. We need to pray.

Today’s first reading says that the complacent in Zion were spending their time at parties and banquets while the destruction of Israel and deportation into exile were imminent: “They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph! [...] they shall be the first to go into exile” (Am 6:6–7).  As in the movie “Titanic,” the ship was sinking and they were fiddling! The times we live in require us to be increasingly vigilant in prayer.

Our Lord often spoke of the need for prayer: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7). “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mt 26:41). “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name” (Jn 16:23). Our Lord tells us that we should pray “always” (Lk 18:1). St. Paul says: “Pray constantly” (1 Thess 5:17).

To pray is to silence ourselves and experience the sweet and gentle presence of Christ.

We try to quench our thirst for happiness and fulfillment with many things, but only Christ can do so. When we pray, we present our genuine need to God. When we pray, we return all the gifts we have received back to the Father through Christ, as an act of praise and thanksgiving. We do not lose anything we give to God because he multiplies and returns it superabundantly

If we do not dedicate a certain amount of time to God in prayer, life becomes meaningless, empty and sterile. When we entrust all our concerns to God, we find peace in our hearts.

Stewardship of prayer helps us to use our gifts wisely and teaches us to share them generously. Next Sunday, we shall make commitments of prayer time. You can find the pledge cards in the pews. During the coming week, prayerfully examine your consciences and ask yourselves how much time the Lord is asking you to dedicate to prayer.

May we give generously of our time to praise and glorify the holy name of God.  Amen.