Praying is Loving: A sharing on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary time

Reflection of Rev. Fr. Phillippe Angelo G. Garcia for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Another term for telling "I LOVE YOU" is "I AM PRAYING FOR YOU".

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that loving means willing the Good of the other. In the

context of prayer, we desire the best life of our beloved by mentioning them in our

encounter with God. Praying is an act of love for it is in prayer that we encounter God who is love himself. I have always believed that the first step of loving is praying. For you begin loving another person when you mention them in your prayers to God.

This 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. I'd like to focus our reflection on prayer.

1. PRAYER IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

In Filipino culture, we often use the words “dasal” and “panalangin” interchangeably.

Both involve talking to God, but they are not the same. According to Fr. Thomas Green,

Dasal refers to memorized prayers like the “Our Father” or “Hail Mary.” These are

beautiful and important because they help us form good habits and remind us of our faith.

Panalangin, on the other hand, is a more personal and heartfelt conversation with God. It is not memorized. It comes from your heart and goes straight to God’s heart. It is like

talking to a close friend or a loved one.

It has been my experience that several parishioners would open to me, sharing this concern: Father, nahihirapan po akong MAGPRAY! I FIND IT SO BORING! parang wala pong nangyayari? At napaka busy ko pong tao! Any advice po? (Father, I find it hard to pray. It feels boring! I don’t feel anything! I’m too busy!)

If you feel this way, you are not alone. Here are 3 things to consider:

a. Prayer is a relationship. Even if you don’t feel anything, CONTINUE TO STAY

WITH JESUS IN PRAYER. Just like in any mature and loving relationship, there

are days when you don’t feel excited, but you stay because of love. There are surely

days when you are in a good feeling, so it is easier to stay with Jesus. However,

there are also ordinary days wherein you will feel not happy nor sad. Whatever the

feeling is, always remember that we don’t base our relationship with God only on

emotions. We choose to love Him as HE IS. We love him not just through comforts

or easy feelings. We love God by giving Him our time and attention unconditionally.

b. Prayer is not about results. We don’t pray just to get what we want. We pray

because we love God. Whether our prayers are answered or not in the way that we

want, we continue to trust Him. God always has a plan for us, even if we don’t

understand it right away.

c. Let your life be guided by your relationship with God. When you love God, you

try to become a better person. You pray, go to Mass, and serve others not because

everyone else is good, but because you want to please God. Your relationship with

Him becomes the reason behind your actions, decisions, and dreams.

We are Catholics because we have a relationship with Jesus. That relationship should be

the foundation of our lives.

2. GOD WILL NEVER ABANDON US

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God hears our prayers. He will not deny us

justice. He listens to our cries. Our first reading leads us to look into the character of Moses.

In the story of Moses, the Israelites won the battle because Moses prayed for them. His

hands were raised in prayer, and they were victorious. This shows us that prayer brings

strength and victory.

As a long time Catholic, I bet that you notice the different gestures of the hands of the priest as he presides over the Holy Mass. The most common gesture is raising both of his hands. This gesture is called the “orans” position. It is a sign of prayer and surrender to God. In ancient Christian tombs in Rome, there are images of people with raised hands just like the priest at Mass. It is a reminder that God will save us. Just like Moses raised his hands during the battle, and God helped them win, we too can trust that God will help us in our battles. He has saved us before, and He will save us again.

Whether we feel it or not, God loves us deeply. That love is constant and faithful. So let

us deepen our relationship with Him. Let us pray more, trust more, and love more.

Even when prayer feels boring or difficult, let us still give time to God because we love

Him, and because He never stops loving us. AMEN.

Points for Reflection

1. What is your most favorite “dasal” or memorized prayers? How did you learn that prayer? What is the meaning of that prayer to you?

2. When are the times that you do “Panalangin”? Have you developed in encountering God through your spontaneous prayer?

3. What is your most favorite part of the HOLY MASS? Where do you feel God is leading you from that favorite part of the Holy Mass?