THE FOUNDATION OF EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Meditation for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
(Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18; Lk 18:9-14)

Though Jesus asked us to pray without losing heart, He equally wants us to pray with the right disposition for our prayer to be effective. Among other things, the readings of today highlight the fact that prayer and our life journey are connected; our life must reflect our prayer and our prayer must speak for our life-experience. That means our daily activities can influence our disposition to pray, and our moments of prayer should energize us from within to be properly disposed in our daily life. That is why in the parable, Jesus praised the tax collector, who humbled himself and acknowledged his unworthiness before God.

 

Effective prayer is one that finds favor with God. And Jesus tells us through the parable that it is a prayer offered with humility of heart. “Humility is the foundation of prayer” (CCC 2559). To be humble means to be true to ourselves and to God. The Pharisee presented a false judgment of himself before God, while the Tax Collector presented a true judgment of himself before God. As the first reading says, “He whose service is pleasing to the Lord will be accepted, and his prayer will reach to the clouds.” It is only services rendered with humility that are pleasing to God. God favors the humble (James 4:6-10). However, pride and humility are not just what we exhibit in prayer, they are ways of life we adopt. And the way of life we exhibit came from particular choices we made over time. In other words, the will of man, our volitional capacity to choose, can be inclined to pride or humility at every instance.

 

Thus, prayer from a contrite heart energizes one to align his desires and choices to a humble living. According to the first reading, “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord…” So, the Tax Collector would rise from the temple and go out to change his ways accordingly. Effective prayer brings transformation; the answer to our prayers opens new opportunities and responsibilities. If the grace we receive from our prayers is not reflected in our daily lives, then we are hypocrites like the Pharisee. But once we approach God with the right disposition, which is humility of heart, prayer brings sanctification to our lives and activities. It makes us more responsible and responsive to duty.

 

We see a demonstration of this in the second reading. Here, St. Paul recounted how he fought the good fight and finished the race. At the same time, he humbly acknowledged that God gave him strength that made it possible. We see in St. Paul a man who worked so hard, yet he lived humbly before God in faith, trusting in God’s providence and protection. This is unlike the Pharisee, who trusted in himself and praised himself for his achievements. The prayer of such a proud man cannot bring conversion or transformation, for he is not open to God. Let us reflect if our prayers are clouded with self-importance or they open us in humility to God’s sovereignty. Let us not be afraid of placing the will of God and His glory over ourselves and our needs. St. Paul assures us, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory for ever and ever.” Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Sunday October 23, 2022.

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