29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom for Prayer and Life “It shows considerable wisdom to know what you want in life This is an apt description of the wisdom of the widow from this Sunday’s Gospel. This woman wanted justice, and fearing neither God nor concerned for the respect of others, harried the judge relentlessly. Jesus offers her as a model for our life of prayer. Too often what we really want in life is different from what we pray for. Maybe that is why our prayer can feel weak and insipid. Our hearts, and therefore our energies, are torn in two. Maybe the good of our family is our greatest desire - then place them in your heart at the time of prayer. The love for them will be like a fire boosting your heart. Maybe we desire to excel in our career or our studies - then begin each time of work or study with a prayer that God will bring it to its fulfilment. We need to grow in wisdom in both how we lead our lives and in how we pray. When we separate life and prayer, our daily life can feel aimless or overwhelming as we have no inner source to draw on. When prayer is disconnected from daily life, it becomes superficial or fanciful. Bringing them together allows then to feed each other and to be feed by the Holy Spirit who Jesus promises will be with us always. Come Holy Spirit, give us your wisdom and passion for life
Sr Kym Harris OSB |