Ninth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, "My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance." She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. And they began to say: "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age." They said together, "Amen, amen," and went to bed for the night.

Prayer is important to our faith lives. It sustains us in our trials, shows how much we trust in God, and gives us a chance to praise and glorify the Lord. Praying together with others is even more profound. Praying with our spouses, children, co-workers, neighbors, etc. helps us tremendously in growing into our vocation as good and faithful servants. The mere act of praying with others can help remind us that we are not alone on this spiritual journey toward heaven.

Is pray important to our lives? Are there people who we can pray with and grow with as Christians?Do we appreciate all that God has done for us?

O Lord, praised be your name forever and ever.
Amen.