Just a forethought for the Month of October...

Yesterday, the Church started the Month of the Holy Rosary. As always, we remember Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, and the great victories of Lepanto and La Naval de Manila which was realized under her intercession. 

We are called to pray, pray always, pray unceasingly, not only for our own sake but for our families, communities, Our Holy Mother Church and our dear Fatherland, and the whole world. So, inspired by that, I had this reflection which could be shared with everyone...

Special thanks to Kat for this good rendition of the photo.

How does it feel to pray in front of God's presence? 

We have our own set of prayers, and our own strategies of raising it to God. Some of us babble, close our eyes, and do some other things hoping with profound faith that our prayers are heard and answered. But what is inside our prayers?

Some, like the Pharisee, tend to raise their eyes to Heaven in empty piety and say, 'Oh God! Thank you for not making me sick, nor poor. Thank you for sparing us from calamities, unlike the shanty guys. Thank you because I'm not like them. You know I give to the poor in Charitable institutions, but I thank you because I'm not like them!'

Some, like the Tax collector, feel like they are unworthy to approach God. In the silence of their hearts, they pray, Lord, have mercy! We are so unworthy. Please listen to our prayers. We know you would consider our plea. We have nobody to turn to, so we ask your strength and guidance in this time of need. Have mercy on us, Lord!

We think that the Lord only considers the prayers of the few who are more close to him, may pampadulas kung baga, but we should always remember that the Lord listens to all our prayers. He provides us with everything we need, if not now, in the near future. 

Some say, why pray? We can do it ourselves without God's help. Well, we think and do otherwise. 

Prayer teaches us that whoever we may be in the society, we are still under One God. 

It teaches us to be patient and wait with faith. 

It teaches us to draw ourselves closer to others, to be a living prayer ourselves.

To pray in God's presence is not just a ho-hum; it is a grace, a chance to be re-created by your Creator, to be redeemed again by your Redeemer, and to be sanctified by your Sanctifier. 

To pray is to communicate with someone close to you though you do not see Him. 

To pray is to ask, not for your own sake, but for His will to be living in you, that you, in turn, may be a moving prayer to others.

To pray is to say that you can't face this battle of life all along; that you still need someone to lean on, who is nobody else but God.

When you pray, do not say, 

'Lord, I want this, I want that.' 

Rather, say, 

'Lord, you know what I need. May your will be done.'