HAVE A SEAT AND LET’S TALK
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
My dear encountered couples:
Jesus is teaching his disciples the Lord’s Prayer. How many, many times have we prayed it! Or at least said it? There’s a difference, you know.
Praying is when our mind and heart are into our words. Saying can very well be no more than a recitation and a repeating of the words we have been taught to say. Where is your mind when you say the Our Father? Where is your heart when you say the words?
Now I know we all have distractions. I doubt the human has been born yet who doesn’t have a million unintended thoughts enter into his and her mind while praying. But when we become conscious of them the question is, do we stick with them or make a sincere effort to return our attention to the one to whom we are praying? To say prayers each day just to get them in, so our consciences can feel like we’ve done our duty or kept our resolve, is not exactly a commendable way of communing with the Lord. Would we do that to a visitor in our homes, just mouth words while paying no attention to them? Do we do that with those we live with?
The people we are talking to might occasionally turn us off and think of other things, they get tired of our babbling. But would it not be wrong for us to have our mind a million miles away while we are saying something to them? Now I know we all may do our share of talking without thinking, but normally we direct our full attention and energy to whom we are talking and to what we are saying. Why don’t we do that when we are speaking to God instead of becoming completely oblivious to his even being in the room? I am sure you know what I mean. When we say, “Our Father,” let us look at him and be aware of his presence. God your Father is not a figment of your imagination way up in the sky somewhere. He’s a real Person right down here wherever you are. Invite him to have a seat, then start talking. You can be sure God is listening.
