I just want to share some points from Fr Gitner's preaching today during Wednesday Mass.
The gospel for today is about disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. As they saw Jews, praying now, praying then, praying here, and praying there, they were touched seeing how Jesus prayed to His Father. They saw
relationship there, they saw peace and Jesus radiated something that was somehow different for them. and Jesus told them a prayer that now we know it as Our Father prayer.
There is a significant different between
saying a prayer and
pray. One involves mind, while the other one involves heart. We can
say a prayer without meaning the words that we are saying. But when we
pray, we
connect with God, we build a relationship with Him. and
that's the point of praying. To build a relationship, to connect with him.
We can take an analogy in our daily life.
When we are with our friends, in this case acquaintances, sometimes we may talk a thousand words without meaning. Even we have talked for hours, we may feel a bit empty. But when we are with our bestfriends/partner, we can walk a ten kilometers path together in silence, without any guilty feeling, without any obligation to break the silence, without any uneasiness feeling. Silence that ironically gives us a thousand meaning. Silence that comforts. Maybe just a bit of words, here and there, and we may feel satisfied and thankful for that moment. It is because we have (what I mean by)
a relationship.
A connection or you may want to call it
a chemistry.
And sometimes, being a sanguine person, it is difficult for me to have this kind of silence.
That is why, maybe for some people, loneliness is horrible. But for me, sometimes this is exactly what I need and what I want. Yeah, I enjoy loneliness (to some extent, of course) because that is the time when I actually have the chance to talk to God and myself.
But stil, I do want to have someone whom I can have this kind of beautiful silence, someday.. :)
