Prayer Brings Wholistic Change
Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13
(17/ C)
“The last thought of the day will be the
first thought of the day.”
Luke presents the core teaching of Jesus on prayer in
today’s Gospel. The persistence of the neighbor assures that God hears our
prayers. Last week, we reflected on the Benedictine rule, emphasizing “prayer
and service.” We understood that it needs to be translated into work and work
needs to be translated into prayer. Christian prayer is not one-dimensional. It
is a holistic and wholistic experience in which our spirit communes, our bodies
respond, and our minds are healed. In a world that often divides the spiritual
from the physical and the emotional, prayer reintegrates all parts of the human
person into a relationship with God. When we kneel to pray like Solomon (1 Kng
8:54), speak our fears, lift our hands in worship, or weep in silence, we bring
our whole selves before a God who sees, hears, and welcomes us completely (Ps
33:9). In such prayer, God meets us spiritually, physically, and emotionally
transforming us into His image and likeness.
Prayer is often considered more than just a Devotional
or ritualistic action or sacrifice that helps us reach the next step in our
spiritual journey. Prayer needs to engage not only the spirit, but also the
body and the mind, since it brings our entire selves into the presence of the
living God (Ps 95:6). Meditative prayer is a space of honesty, healing,
and renewal. The Psalms are filled with raw human emotion—joy, fear, anger,
grief, longing, and gratitude. David cried, “How long, O Lord?” (Ps 13), and
Jesus himself prayed, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Lk 22:41; Ps
22). In prayer, there is no space to hide our emotions from God. We are invited
to pour out our hearts to him. Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything…
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God… will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7). When we pray in this meditation,
we cast our cares upon the Lord, and he replaces our anxiety with his peace (1
Pet 5:7). He continues to say, “Be
transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). In God’s presence, through
the meditative prayer our thought patterns are reshaped, our perspective is
corrected, and our identity as God’s children is reaffirmed with his concerns.
Contemplative or unitive
prayer would be culminative. It helps us listen to our emotions, the sufferings
of the body, and disciplines the mind with its varied thoughts, transforming
the whole person. It builds and strengthens our whole being day by day. From
the step of listening to the body-mind, it helps us to listen to the voice of
God and experience a mystical union with Him. The Holy Spirit empowers this
divine act. Paul writes, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness…interceding for
us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom 8:26). Even when we struggle to
pray, the Holy Spirit bridges the gap between our frailty and God’s grace. Contemplative
prayer brings wholistic change. The disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to
pray” (Lk 11:1). In response, Jesus gave them his prayer—not just as a formula,
but as a formation of the heart, mind, and body. Such prayer shapes our
desires, plans, and aligns us with God’s will. It draws us into a deeper
acceptance of who we are and how we are designed to be in His divine plan for
salvation. Lastly, one word…..
“We should pray every day before going to sleep. The
subconscious mind is influenced during sleep. That omniscient subconscious
mind, which knows all the ways, completes our first thought as soon as we wake
up in the morning”. Have a positive thought as you fall in sleep…
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