THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Fifth Sunday after Easter

14 May 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

"Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be made full." Jesus instructs us that because we love Him, the Father in Heaven loves us and will give us whatever we ask in the Name of Jesus. We are familiar with the asking part of prayer but often forget the preliminary portion of loving Jesus.

Concerning prayer, St. Basil the Great says:

"Prayer is not made perfect by uttering syllables, O Brethren, but in the purpose of the soul, and in the just actions of a lifetime. Nor are we to believe that God has need of being reminded through our words. We are not to think that we complete our prayer by murmuring a number of syllables, but rather, O Brethren, by the purpose of our soul, and in deeds of virtue extending into every action and moment of our life. Neither are we to think that God needs the reminder of our spoken words; rather, are we to believe that He knows our need whether we ask of Him or not. The ear of God has no need of our cry, since He can see even from the movements of our soul what it is that we seek for. For have you not heard that Moses was heard by the Lord, though he uttered no sound, but besought the Lord through the unspoken groanings of the spirit within him, and the Lord said to Him: Why cryest thou to me? (Ex. xiv. 15). And let those who do not keep to the straight path, yet who, because of the length of their prayers, consider themselves as virtuous, take heed of these words: And when you stretch forth your hands, I will turn away my eyes from you: and when you multiply prayer, I will not hear (Is. i. 15). For the words of prayer that are simply uttered are of themselves of no avail unless they are sent upwards from a fervent soul."

Prayer is not only petitions. We also must pray to honor, praise, thank, and worship God. Today's Gospel reading, however (St. John 16, 23-30) draws our attention to the prayer of petition. We can ask for material things and spiritual things. Spiritual wants or needs are more important than material ones. Jesus made it clear that we should seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then everything else that is necessary will be given to us as well.

What we pray for and how we pray are essential. There are no "magical" words or formulas that we need to use. The critical part is lovingly lifting our hearts and minds to God. Our prayers are simultaneously acts of love of God, submission to God's Will, and sacrifices of our time, energy, and attention.

Thinking of the many and varied ways and means of prayer leads us to consider the attentions of the sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha's prayer was one of corporal service to God. The corporal works are good and worthy prayers. Everyone should strive to serve Jesus with as much fervor and dedication as Martha did. All the blessings and goods of this earth have been entrusted to us by God so that we can use them to serve Him more worthily and faithfully. Our goal should be to give the best that we have of this world to advance God's honor, praise, and glory.

As good as the prayer of physical work and service — demonstrated in Martha — is, there is a greater and more perfect form of prayer that we should also strive for from time to time— the spiritual prayers of Mary. Mary set aside for the moment the cares and needs of this physical world and our physical bodies to pursue something greater — the Kingdom of God. This is the greater part. This is the most perfect part.

We need both forms of prayer. We need physically active prayers of love serving God with all that we have and are; we need quiet or still prayers where we halt the movements and activities of our bodies to be with Jesus — hear Him and love Him. This stilling or silencing of the activities of our bodies is a kind of sacrifice or offering that we can make to Jesus. We give Him our full attention and allow ourselves to be drawn into Him. We do not usually begin with this greater form of prayer or remain there for very long. Our goal is to reach this state of union with Jesus in this life as best as possible, but our ultimate goal is to obtain this unity with Him eternally in Heaven.

Until we are eternally united with Jesus in Heaven, we must live in a kind of ebb and flow of this life. Sometimes we pray and serve God in the busyness of our physical lives here on earth, and sometimes we steal away moments of intimate prayers of contemplation and love which are beyond words or description. Both require more than just the sound of words or syllables; they require the union of our hearts, minds, and souls.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!