Saturday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Josaphat, Bishop, Martyr
3 John 1:5-8 | Psalm 111(112):1-6 | Luke 18:1-8
The message in today’s Gospel is right there in the first line: pray continually and never lose heart. The first part is certainly feasible, if we put our mind to it and don’t let earthly possessions and worries distract us from keeping our minds focused on God.
The second part, however, can be insidiously tricky, when our prayers aren’t answered in a recognizable way (i.e. what we asked for) within the limits of our attention span. Then we start to wonder if they’ll ever be answered, and then we begin to forget our prayer intentions.
It was because I noticed this happening to me, that I started a prayer notebook about a month ago. It’s inspired by a homily from my assistant parish priest, and is simply a 4-column list. It’s a tool to help us be mindful in our prayers, reminding us of the needs of others, and prodding us to open our eyes to the answers that God provides.
Mine currently looks like this:
| Started | Praying For | Answered | The Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-Oct-2016 | Anne's green card | 1. No deportation. 2. Reconnect with loved ones. |
|
| 30-Oct-2016 | Aik Jin's recovery | ||
| 11-Nov-2016 | Naomi's operation | 11-Nov-2016 | No complications |
The third entry is the kind we all pray for, a timely response to an immediate problem.
The second entry is for my brother-in-law, and I wrote about his situation here.
The first…is still teaching me about how God answers prayers.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
In a nutshell, Anne’s Singaporean, her husband’s American, and they’re living in Nevada. Her immigration status is of course a very important thing, and she was receiving ominous rumblings from Citizenship and Immigration Services officials.
As of today, her case is still pending, but there’s a possible way out, which involves her return to Singapore for a year to discuss matters with the local US Embassy. Our prayers aren’t fully answered yet, but she avoided deportation and immigration blacklisting, which was the worst-case scenario.
In my mind, I can imagine God saying, “My dearest daughter, you are precious to Me, and I will not let you be separated from your husband. But you have been away from your family and friends for quite a while now, and it’s best that you spend some time reconnecting with them. So it shall be – go and see your loved ones again, then return to your husband. But be not afraid, I may gently lead you in other directions along the way.”
So Anne’s entry in my journal may end up getting quite long in “The Answer” column. Her story is still being written, as are all of ours, but we trust that God knows what’s best for us. In the meantime, my prayers for her will continue, as they should.
After all, as Christians, we live in hope each day, and by consciously praying for the needs of those around us, we in turn may be blessed with the revelation of God’s deep love for us all, manifesting in strange and wonderful ways.
Amen.