When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theology path [the path of faith, hope and love] of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus' explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church. - CCC 2607 -

From the "Sermon on the Mount" onward, Jesus insists on "conversion of heart": reconciliation with one's brother before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrase, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart and seeking the Kingdom before all else. This filial conversion is entirely directed to the Father. - CCC 2608 - Matt. 5:23-24, 44-45, 6:7, 14-15, 21, 25, 33 -

Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in "faith." Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to "seek" and to "knock" since he himself is the door and the way. - CCC 2609 - Matt. 7:7-14 -

Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving his gifts, so he teaches us "filial boldness": "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will." Such is the power of prayer and of faith that does not doubt: "all things are possible to him who believes." Jesus is as saddened by the "lack of faith" of his own neighbours and the "little faith" of his own disciples as he struck with admiration at the great of the Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman. - CCC 2610 - Mark 6:6, 9:23, 11:24; Matt. 8:10, 26, 15:28, 21:22 -

The prayer of faith consists not only in saying "Lord, Lord" but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father. Jesus calls his disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan. -CCC 2611 - Matt. 9:38, 21; Luke 10:2; John 4:34 -

In Jesus "the Kingdom of God is at hand." He calls his hearers to conversion and faith, but also to "watchfulness." In prayer the disciple keep watch, attentive to Him Who Is and Him Who Comes, in memory of his first coming in the lowliness of the flesh, and in the hope of his second coming in glory. In communion with their Master, the disciples' prayer is a battle; only by keeping watch in prayer can one avoid falling into temptation. - CCC 2612 - Mark 1:15, 13; Luke 21:34-36, 22:40, 46 -

When Jesus openly entrusts to his disciples the mystery of prayer to the Father he reveals to them what their prayer and ours must be, once he has returned to the Father in his glorified humanity. What is new is to "ask in his name." Faith in the Son introduces the disciples into the knowledge of the Father because Jesus is "the way, and the truth, and the life." Faith bears its fruit in love: it means keeping the word and the commandments of Jesus, it means abiding with him in the Father who, in him, so loves us that he abides with us. In this new covenant the certitude that our petitions will be heard is founded on the prayer of Jesus. - CCC 2614 - John 14:6, 13-14 -

Even more, what the Father gives us when our prayer is united with that of Jesus is "another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth. This new dimension of prayer and of its circumstances is displayed throughout the farewell discourse. In the Holy Spirit, Christian prayer is a communion of love with the Father, not only through Christ but also "in him": "Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - CCC 2615 - John 14:23-26, 15:7, 16, 16:13-15, 23-27 -

Prayer to Jesus is answered by him already during his ministry, through signs that anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection: Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the lepers, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief) or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman) The urgent request of the blind men, "Have mercy on us, Son of David" or "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" has been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the "Jesus Prayer": "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: "Your faith has made you well; go in peace." - CCC 2616 - Mark 1:40-41, 2:5, 5:28, 36,7:29, 10:48; Luke 7:37-38, 23:39-43; Matt. 9:27 -

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -