32nd Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA
What
if instead of teaching us about how to give alms, the story of the
Widow's Mite teaches us something about prayer? We know the lesson of
the widow who gives her last two pennies to the temple. Jesus pretty
much tells us the moral of the story outright: the widow has given
much, much more than all the wealthy alms-givers b/c the wealthy
“have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her
poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Who
sacrifices more? Who is made holier in giving away what they have?
The Widow, of course. However, what if we think of the two coins she
gives to the temple as prayers given to God? And what if we think of
the thousands and millions of coins given by the wealthy as their
prayers to God? The moral of the story doesn't change. Because the
Widow prayed all she had to pray in loving sacrifice, her prayers far
outweigh the thousands and millions of prayers offered out of surplus
by the wealthy. They banked their graces, save them up, and now they
expect a dividend, a cash-out. The Widow gives herself totally to
pray, throws herself completely on the mercy of God's providence.
When we pray well, we pray with everything we have, everything we
are, holding nothing back for later, trusting (knowing) that God will
provide.
So,
how does this all work? First, the first beneficiary of prayer is the
pray-er, the one praying. Even if you are praying for someone else,
you benefit first b/c God's response to your prayer conditions you to
better receive His graces. Second, the whole point of prayer is make
it possible for you to better receive God's graces. Our prayers do
not and cannot change God. They can and do change us. Third, what we
put into prayer is made holy (i.e., sacrificed) and given back to
God. If I put nothing more than my surplus time and energy into
prayer, then I am making holy only what's left over of my time and
energy. I spend most of my time and my energy on me. And then I give
the leftovers to God. However, if I put everything I have and
everything I am into my prayer, then everything I have and everything
I am is made holy in sacrifice. Even one small prayer, prayed with my
whole livelihood is worth more than a thousand or a million prayers
prayed as leftovers. The logic is inescapable: if I am the first
beneficiary of my prayers, and I put everything I have and am into my
prayer – no matter how small – then my sacrifice can outweigh the
leftovered prayers of millions!
Now,
of course, the goal here isn't to Win the Prayer Race, or Out-pray
the Spiritually Wealthy. The goal is to improve my prayer life so
that I might grow closer to Christ, becoming more and more like him.
To be more like Christ we must pray like Christ. How did Christ pray?
Often and intensely. In fact, his whole life was a single prayer, one
thirty-three year long prayer of sacrifice. From the moment of his
conception in Mary's virginal womb to his ascension into heaven,
Christ offered his life and death as an on-going sacrifice. Sure, his
sacrifice culminated on the cross, and the effects of his sacrifice
boomed out into the world at his resurrection, but every step, every
breath, every act he performed while he was among us was a prayer.
Everything he had, everything he was – wholly given over to the
Father as a witness to His mercy. If we will pray like Christ, in
order to become more like him, we will make every step, every breath,
every act, thought, word, everything, a sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving, bearing open and courageous witness to the Good News
that he lived and died to bring us.
Does
this sound like an enormous task to you? Well, it is. . .and it
isn't. If you see your work in Christ as a burden or a duty or as
something to just get done so you can get on with all the stuff you
really want to do, then bearing witness to God's mercy will be an
enormous task. You will likely store up your graces and pray your
leftovers. Who's hurt by your Leftover Prayer Life? You are! You
might be giving huge amounts of time, treasure, and talent to the
Church. . .but praying out of your leftovers. Thousands could be
benefiting from your material generosity. . .but you could be
starving to death spiritually b/c you give God your surplus time and
energy in prayer. However, if you see your work in Christ as a means
of working out your holiness, as a way to grow into his likeness,
then bearing witness to the Father's mercy will be anything but a
burden; it will be a joy, a bonus. You will immediately give away
(sacrifice) your God-given graces and pray with everything you have
and are, and soon find yourself swimming in blessings. Remember: the
more you share God's gifts to you, the more gifts He gives you to
share. Holiness is polished into us by the act of exchanging of
gifts: from God → me → you, from you → me → God, and so on.
Each exchange shines our perfection a little brighter.
When
you leave here tonight, take some time to consider your prayer life.
Not just which prayers you pray, or how long you spend in prayer.
Consider the quality of the time and energy you devote to prayer. Ask
yourself: am I like the wealthy who pray a lot out of my leftover
time and energy, or am I like the poor widow who prays a little but
prays her entire livelihood every time? If your prayer life is dull,
rusted, kinda broken down, consider a refurbishment: for a couple of
months limit your prayers to giving God thanks and praise for who and
what you already have in your life. Don't ask for anything. Just say
“thank you” for what you've got. If you have stopped praying
alone with God altogether. . .well, you may now know why nothing is
working out for you and why everything seems to be so pointless.
Reintroduce yourself to the Father and welcome Him back into your
life. Remember: it's not the size or shape of the prayer but what you
put into it that tips the scale. You don't have to give a room to
despair, anger, disappointment, or any other dark spirit. Turn them
over to God in prayer, and let Him make them holy.
The
Widow gives everything she has. And everything she has – two small
coins – outweighs the alms of millions. Her enormous sacrifice
deepens her humility and brings her closer to God. In her poverty and
in ours, where would we rather be?
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