Well, in the Gospel today, the blind man calls out to the Lord as he makes his way towards Jerusalem. “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” And the people rebuked the blind man. “Stop wasting your time”, Jesus has more important things to do than waste his time on a blind beggar like you.
As the crowd tried to silence this man’s calls to Jesus, what does Jesus do? He stops everything and orders that the blind man be brought to him. And because of the man’s faith, his prayer for sight is granted.
Sometimes we are tempted to believe that Jesus doesn’t have time for us, or that our prayerful petitions are getting lost amidst all of the prayers being lifted up to God. But, the Gospel today reminds us that Jesus hears our prayers. In fact, seated at the right hand of the Father in eternity, he literally has all the time in the world for every one of our prayers.
Every petition made to God in faith is heard by God and answered according to what God deems is best for us.
A few years ago, Pope Francis taught a group of young people the five-finger method of prayer. Our hands have five fingers, and those five fingers remind us of what and who we should prayer for every day.
1.) The thumb is closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a "Sweet Obligation."
2.) The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers.
3.) The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God's guidance.
4.) The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need your prayers.
5.) And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way.
Each of us are to be the blind man in today’s Gospel, crying out to the Lord in faith, despite all the voices telling us we’re wasting our time, bringing to the Lord the needs of the world, the needs of the Church, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
- - - - - -
We bring to God our prayers of petition
For our families and friends and our loved ones, that we may be ever more united in the bonds of faith and charity. We pray to the Lord.
That all teachers of the faith, and teachers of young people, may be servants of goodness and truth.
That our President and all civic leaders may govern in the spirit of righteousness, justice, and peace.
That our Holy Father and all bishops and priests may lead the Church in absolute faithfulness to the Gospel.
For the weak, the poor and afflicted, the sick and the suffering, and the dying, that they may be consoled by the healing light of Christ. And that our beloved dead may come to enter the gates of heaven, especially Sony Bobick for whom this mass is offered, we pray to the Lord.
And for ourselves, that in our weakness and blindness, the Lord may have pity on us. We pray to the Lord.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment