Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Jesus went up 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: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus is constantly praying in the gospels, especially before major events in his ministry. In this way, he gives us an example of how we should pray to him before making big decisions in our lives or when facing great tasks. He goes off by himself and prays on a mountain. We might not have a mountain nearby, but we too should make a point to retreat from the world from time to time in order to focus on God and pray to Him without distractions. He also spends the entire night praying to God. How many of us have done the same? Have we even prayed one hour to God? Perhaps we should find time each day to spend with God. It could be early in the morning before work, during a break in the afternoon, or even right before we go to bed. All we have to do is make the time for God and keep it holy and without distractions. Once we do this, we will be refreshed in the spirit and be able to make better decisions about our lives and become more like the Twelve Apostles.

Do we make time to pray to God, especially in the midst of our daily decisions? When we do pray, do we try to go to a deserted place so that we are not distracted? How much time do we spend with God each day?

O Lord, teach us how to pray.

Amen.