32nd
Sunday OT
Fr.
Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our
Lady of the Rosary, NOLA
What
if we read the story of the Widow's Mite as a lesson about prayer? We
already 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
prayed 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 prayer. She 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 changes you to
better receive His gifts. Second, the whole point of prayer is make
it possible for you to better receive God's gifts. 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. And 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 exploded 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 gifts and pray your
leftovers. And 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 still 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 gifts 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 polishes 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 renovation: 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. The Widow gives everything she has.
And everything she has – two small coins – outweighs the alms of
millions. She gives her entire livelihood in one prayer. Do you have
the courage of the Widow to do likewise?
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