Twenty-Third Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

Before choosing his Apostles, Jesus sought out a place of solitude and spent the night in prayer. How many of us seek out quiet prayer before making a major decision in our lives? We live in an impulsive world where we are constantly making decisions on the fly, but sometimes we need to take a step back, slow things down, and pray to God about what we should do. Taking these steps will help us to discern what is the right thing to do and can help us to not only make more fruitful decisions, but also avoid making rash ones. We would do well in our lives to take the time to gain the perspective we need to choose good over evil. We may not always have such time, but whenever we do, we should remember to turn to God first and then make our decisions.

Do we seek out God's guidance when making choices, both great and small? How often do we spend time in prayer to God? How can we make God more central to our decision-making process?

O Lord, help us to make the right decisions throughout our lives.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

After healing Simon’s mother and curing many others in her house, Jesus rises early and goes off to a deserted place. Jesus seeks out a place of solitude so that he can pray to his Heavenly Father and reflect on everything he has done, is doing, and will do. We can learn a lot about how to meditate on the message of the gospels, contemplate God’s presence in our lives, and pray better by following Jesus’ example. We need to get away from our worldly distractions if we are truly to focus on our spiritual needs. However, once we are done praying, we also need to be ready to move on and go wherever God is leading us. We cannot become so comfortable in one place that we never leave. There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to go forth. Sometimes this means leaving behind our families or friends, other times it means making sacrifices of time, talents, and treasures. But no matter what God asks of us, we should remember that He never asks more of us than we can give and He always gives us the graces we need to endure.

Do we seek to be alone with God and enjoy His Presence? How can we better meditate on the gospels and contemplate God’s presence in our lives? Are we willing to go where God is leading us and preach the truth through our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, help us to find our deserted place, where we can pray to you with all our hearts and listen to you with all our souls.

Amen.

Wednesday after Epiphany

And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.

After the miracle of the loaves Jesus goes off to pray. We are not told what he prays about, but perhaps that is not as important as the act of praying itself. Jesus gives us a model of living and in this model both work and prayer are needed. Prayer allows us to put our works into context and offer them up to God for the reparation of sins, ours and others. It is a time when we allow God to speak to our hearts and minds. Jesus also goes off alone and as such reminds us that solitude and silence are needed in order to enter into the deep prayer God is calling us to in our daily lives.

How do we marry our work and prayer life? Do we seek the solitude and silence necessary for deep contemplation or are we too busy with worldly things? How do we use our prayer life to replenish and renew ourselves?

O Lord, lead us to a place of peace when we are praying to you and silence all those things which keep us from listening to your voice.

Amen.