17th Sunday of Year C July 25, 2010
Prayer
A small village in rural Russia was beset by drought one year and all the crops failed.
The village rabbi prayed to the heavens, "Lord, why don’t you do something about
this dreadful drought?" But the heavens remained silent. So the rabbi organised a
charity food-drive with the neighbouring villages to feed his people.
When the rains came, they came in heavy and the local river flooded, killing all the
livestock. The rabbi again prayed, "Heavenly Father, my people are suffering so
much, save us from this flood!" But, again, no help from God seemed forthcoming.
So the rabbi lobbied the government authorities to provide financial assistance to
replenish the herds lost in the deluge.
Finally, in the wake of the flood, infection and disease ran through the inhabitants of
the village. The rabbi prayed once more, "Now surely God you will help us!" But the
diseases ran their course. So the rabbi marshaled the able bodied in the village to care
for the sick.
Months later reflecting on the tragedies of the past year, the rabbi turned to God and
accused the deity, "Why did you not answer the prayers of my poor villagers? Why
did you not send help to them when we were beset by drought, floods and pestilence?
"
After many hours of anguished entreaty, a quiet voice answered the rabbi in the
depths of his heart, "Of course 1sent help; 1 sent you!"
The first reading and the Gospel for today tell similar stories about prayer. In the first
reading from Genesis (18:20-32), we find Abraham haggling with God for the lives of
the citizens in Sodom and Gomorrah, whom God intended to punish for their sins. In
the Gospel, Luke reports a scene in which Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, offering
the prayer we now know as the "Our Father" or the "Lord's Prayer" as the exemplar.
In the process of Abraham's struggle to understand the mercy and justice of God,
Abraham learns that prayer is not about persuading God to do what Abraham wants.
Abraham also learns that prayer is not about appeasing or placating God. Prayer is
primarily about learning what God is like and what he wants of us.
When his disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus demonstrates how one
should address God as Father, assuming the predisposition of a child who waits in
confidence for God's sure reply. Like the character of God in the Abraham story, the
image of God that Jesus paints is not that of a vengeful, wrathful deity intent on
punishing us for our misdeeds. but a God who acts like a loving, compassionate,
forgiving, and caring Father.
Both these readings remind us that prayer is an activity that flows out of a
relationship. There is no right technique for prayer except a willingness to be open to
the transformative power of God's presence. The practice of regular prayer does not
make us more effective at manipulating God's will. Rather, praying regularly will
make us better people, which is what God wants and the world needs.
Ian Elmer
© Redemptorists 2010
**********************************************
Prayer
A small village in rural Russia was beset by drought one year and all the crops failed.
The village rabbi prayed to the heavens, "Lord, why don’t you do something about
this dreadful drought?" But the heavens remained silent. So the rabbi organised a
charity food-drive with the neighbouring villages to feed his people.
When the rains came, they came in heavy and the local river flooded, killing all the
livestock. The rabbi again prayed, "Heavenly Father, my people are suffering so
much, save us from this flood!" But, again, no help from God seemed forthcoming.
So the rabbi lobbied the government authorities to provide financial assistance to
replenish the herds lost in the deluge.
Finally, in the wake of the flood, infection and disease ran through the inhabitants of
the village. The rabbi prayed once more, "Now surely God you will help us!" But the
diseases ran their course. So the rabbi marshaled the able bodied in the village to care
for the sick.
Months later reflecting on the tragedies of the past year, the rabbi turned to God and
accused the deity, "Why did you not answer the prayers of my poor villagers? Why
did you not send help to them when we were beset by drought, floods and pestilence?
"
After many hours of anguished entreaty, a quiet voice answered the rabbi in the
depths of his heart, "Of course 1sent help; 1 sent you!"
The first reading and the Gospel for today tell similar stories about prayer. In the first
reading from Genesis (18:20-32), we find Abraham haggling with God for the lives of
the citizens in Sodom and Gomorrah, whom God intended to punish for their sins. In
the Gospel, Luke reports a scene in which Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, offering
the prayer we now know as the "Our Father" or the "Lord's Prayer" as the exemplar.
In the process of Abraham's struggle to understand the mercy and justice of God,
Abraham learns that prayer is not about persuading God to do what Abraham wants.
Abraham also learns that prayer is not about appeasing or placating God. Prayer is
primarily about learning what God is like and what he wants of us.
When his disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus demonstrates how one
should address God as Father, assuming the predisposition of a child who waits in
confidence for God's sure reply. Like the character of God in the Abraham story, the
image of God that Jesus paints is not that of a vengeful, wrathful deity intent on
punishing us for our misdeeds. but a God who acts like a loving, compassionate,
forgiving, and caring Father.
Both these readings remind us that prayer is an activity that flows out of a
relationship. There is no right technique for prayer except a willingness to be open to
the transformative power of God's presence. The practice of regular prayer does not
make us more effective at manipulating God's will. Rather, praying regularly will
make us better people, which is what God wants and the world needs.
Ian Elmer
© Redemptorists 2010
**********************************************
