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Thursday, October 17, 2019
10.20.19
You Have Permission to Bother God
In the Gospel this Sunday we find one of two parables in Luke in which Jesus urges his listeners to be persistent (maybe even annoying) in their pleading with God. Several chapters earlier he gives the example of a man who goes to his friend at midnight to ask for bread. He says, “I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” In this Sunday’s parable it is a widow who is demanding justice from a judge. After much insistence eventually the judge relents and says, “Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her.” Jesus then comments, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” All of this means we have permission to bother God. Often we think that somehow our prayer is not “worthy” of God or that somehow the all-powerful and eternal God of the universe doesn’t have time for our requests. While I often remind our students that prayer is not about bending God’s will to our own, God does hear and answer our prayers (often in hidden or in better ways), and there is merit to our persistence in prayer, as Jesus himself confirms in these parables. At the very least persistent prayer helps us to focus or hone our prayer, in time bending our often rigid wills to God’s. Also, prayer is always in itself an act of faith and trust in God, which is itself pleasing to God. So go ahead and bother, beg, nag, and plead away! But don’t forget the example of Jesus himself, who concluded his own prayer to the Father in his hour of greatest need by saying, “still, not my will but yours be done.” --Fr. Thom
Have nothing to do next Thursday night? Want to get out of town and meet some students from the University of Iowa? Join Fr. Thom as he travels to Iowa City for the Thursday Night Mass at the Newman Catholic Student Center on October 24th. Mass is at 9:00 p.m., so Fr. Thom will be leaving from the chapel at 7:45 p.m. We will plan to stay for a little of their social after (like our “Mass & More”) and then head back to campus. It will be a late night, but should be a lot of fun. If you are interested in going, RSVP to Fr. Thom by Tuesday, Oct. 22.
On October 28th at the Cinemark Theater in Davenport, there will be a limited showing of "Love and Mercy: Faustina," a new film about St. Faustina Kowalska and the message of Divine Mercy. Showings are at 7:00 and 9:45 p.m., but seats are going fast! Tickets can be ordered through the Cinemark Davenport website.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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In the Gospel this Sunday we find one of two parables in Luke in which Jesus urges his listeners to be persistent (maybe even annoying) in their pleading with God. Several chapters earlier he gives the example of a man who goes to his friend at midnight to ask for bread. He says, “I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” In this Sunday’s parable it is a widow who is demanding justice from a judge. After much insistence eventually the judge relents and says, “Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her.” Jesus then comments, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” All of this means we have permission to bother God. Often we think that somehow our prayer is not “worthy” of God or that somehow the all-powerful and eternal God of the universe doesn’t have time for our requests. While I often remind our students that prayer is not about bending God’s will to our own, God does hear and answer our prayers (often in hidden or in better ways), and there is merit to our persistence in prayer, as Jesus himself confirms in these parables. At the very least persistent prayer helps us to focus or hone our prayer, in time bending our often rigid wills to God’s. Also, prayer is always in itself an act of faith and trust in God, which is itself pleasing to God. So go ahead and bother, beg, nag, and plead away! But don’t forget the example of Jesus himself, who concluded his own prayer to the Father in his hour of greatest need by saying, “still, not my will but yours be done.” --Fr. Thom
