Tuesday of
the 23rd Week of the Year
Memorial
of Saint Peter Claver
September 9, 2014 6:30am
Today Saint Luke says, “Jesus went out to the mountain to pray,
spending the night in communion with God.”
In the gospels, we often see
Jesus at prayer.
And these various times when
Jesus is praying teach us something about when and how to pray.
For example, Jesus prays at his
baptism.
Here he gives us an example to
pray not just words with our lips, but to pray from our hearts as we receive
baptism and Eucharist and the other sacraments.
Jesus goes out to the desert to
pray.
Here he gives us an example to
pull back from constant activity and just be quiet and one with God.
Today, Jesus prays before
selecting the apostles.
Here he gives us an example to
make big decisions in life prayerfully, trying to be open to what God wants us
to do.
Jesus prays before he asks his
apostles what they believe about him.
Here he gives us an example to
pray before we say sensitive things to one another.
Jesus prays on the Mount of
Olives and again on the cross.
Here he gives us an example to
pray when we experience hardship and suffering.
And finally, Jesus prays as he is
transfigured on the mountain.
Here he shows us what the result
of our praying can be: that God will be so intensely with us that God will
shine through our words and actions.
So, rooted in today’s gospel
passage is a wonderful teaching on prayer.
