What would our prayer look like if we thought is as less about asking for something and more about seeking what God wants us to be and do,” Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
Readings for Wednesday of Week 8 in Ordinary Time be found here
We often think of prayer as asking God to do things for us. We pray for the sick to be healed, for war to end, for justice to prevail, for the hungry to be fed. We may ask for very personal things. Help with a new job, a difficult family situation, or personal challenges. “We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ Those were the words of James and John to Jesus in the gospel reading today. And they are words which perhaps, at times, lie behind our prayers. We want God to do whatever we ask of him.
It is obvious from his response, that Jesus can’t fulfil their request. First, though, he says that they don’t really know what they are asking for. They are asking for something that only comes through suffering and sacrifice. They want the glory and the joy. But are they willing to accept the hard graft and the pain that goes with it? They say they are. Then the other disciples hear of their request, and they become irritated. How dare they ask for such a thing! Perhaps they are jealous that the two brothers got the request in first. They’ve beaten the queue, and now the others will have to wait for the best seats in God’s kingdom.
Whatever lies behind our own personal prayers to God, and our own need for his help, we cannot escape the fact that sometimes our prayer may be rather selfish and self indulgent. We may be asking for something that is not for the common good or for the wellbeing of all. Our fulfilled need may become someone else’s problem. Our answered prayer may cause someone else to suffer. Perhaps, if we thought of prayer as less about asking for something and more about seeking what God wants us to be and do, we may become a little closer to the joy of God’s Kingdom.
Mass today is in S Paul’s at 10am and St Mary’s at 11am
If you would like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.
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