Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Today’s Gospel offers us St Luke’s shortened version of the Our Father prayer (compare with Matt. 6:9-13). The brevity of this prayer gives me pause to reflect on the nature of prayer. In his first general audience of 2019, Pope Francis reflected on the Our Father. He said, “He does not need anything, our God: in prayer he asks only that we keep open a channel of communication with him to always discover ourselves [to be] his beloved children and [that] he loves us so much.” Pope Francis saw Jesus as distancing himself from hypocrites, who want to draw attention to themselves by their pious prayers, but then distort the Christian witness by their less than holy behavior; and from those who babble lengthy prayers in an attempt to please God or to be heard by God. He went on to say, “Christian prayer, on the other hand, has no other credible testimony than its own conscience . . . where a continuous dialogue with the Father intertwines intensely . . .” Today, can we enter into that kind of space with God, a continuous dialogue intertwined intensely?
That statement by Pope Francis captivates me. The concept of continuous dialogue reminds me of St Paul’s words, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Imagine an unceasing prayer, intertwined intensely (intimately) with the Father, in a continuous dialogue! This image brings to mind the “circle dance” of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit engaged in a perfect movement of love, complete and whole, that somehow in the mystery of God’s plan, I’m invited into and caught up in. I realize this is all quite mystical, but I wonder today if you and I might spend time imagining ourselves in this intimate space with God. I like to think of praying without ceasing as maintaining an undercurrent of prayer, of communion with God, as I go about my day. Even in the midst of busy life, activities, thoughts, conversations, work, play, distractions, there is an undercurrent of prayer running in the background and below the surface of it all. This type of prayer forms the foundation for our life and becomes the fuel for our life.
Another way to think about prayer as continuous dialogue is to practice being present. Cultivating the ability to maintain an awareness of God’s presence in every moment of your day becomes this kind of intertwined dialogue. I’m seeking to grow in this way. Every day I’m practicing being present to God, present to myself, present to those around me, and present to the Creation. I desire to awaken to that kind of lifestyle and I’m praying for the graces to more fully embody it.
The Our Father can function to center us and remind us that prayer is ultimately not about the words we speak but about intimate communion with God. Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Rosary is another humble prayer that serves to keep us centered and in communion with God and with our Blessed Mother. Today, let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us and/or the Rosary, asking for the graces we need to enter more deeply into intertwined dialogue with God throughout this day and cultivate an ever increasing awareness of God’s presence in, through, and around us.
- Elizabeth Wourms