“God Hears Our Prayers”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 27 – 28, 2019
Scripture: Luke 11:1-13
The purpose of prayer is to unite ourselves to God and to resign ourselves to His will. In today’s scripture, we are told to “ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). You may be thinking, “I have prayed for this or that and got notta….bubkes.” We did as we were told, and He reneged. We’ve all been disappointed. I have been a priest for 35 years and would like to be a monsignor, but I don’t see that happening. We expect better from those we love, but, God gives us much more than we will know until our Particular Judgement.
My evil twin brother, Paul, wrote a book on waste management. I tried reading it, but didn’t make it through the first paragraph. When he got sick, I prayed hard…I said all the prayers I knew for him to recover. What I got was a bro in a box. Am I upset? You bet. I am still upset that I’m the only one left in my family. But, in our grief, anger, and disappointment, God is trying to draw us closer to Him…to enfold us in His arms. We need to remain humble and rely on Him. We must trust Him.
God always hears our prayers, but sometimes the answer is “no.” As a result, we may feel rejected and angry. It’s okay to be angry…He can take it. But, it’s not okay to hold a grudge and not come to church or to live a life of debauchery. Remember, God sees all…outside of time. We don’t see all of the dimensions, but He does. Parents, too, don’t always give their children everything they want, especially when they ask for things like a machine gun, a horse, or a dog. Parents can see the consequences that their children may not. So, because parents want only what is best for their children, the answer may be “no” or “not yet.” It’s the same with God. He gives us what is best for us. It may not be what we want or when we want it, and it may be hard to understand or to accept His plan. But, we are called to keep praying….asking for consolation and for Him to draw us closer to his Sacred Heart.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you trust that God hears all of your prayers and knows what is best for you? Will you pray for consolation if His answer is not what you hoped it would be?