With each struggle in life, we long for resolution and understanding. Life can be so unforgiving! Yet God is always near, gently nudging us this way and that, infusing us with love, hope, and faith through the wisdom of others along the way.
The following homily, delivered at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI by Fr. Alex on November 12, 2022, was recorded, transcribed, and edited (Lanoux, February 2, 2023).
When people tell me “Father, I’ve been praying for so long that it seems that God isn’t willing to give me what I’m asking,” it’s kind of difficult to understand why he wouldn’t do it.
On many occasions I say, “Well, is he not answering you? Or, is he not giving you the answer that you want? And, are you asking that the will of God may be fulfilled— or that your will be done by God?”
It’s funny that we always want from God whatever we consider is best for us. A few times we say, “Okay, give me what you think is adequate.” But it’s not easy to let God be God in you!
Many times we realize that letting God guide us will place us in difficult trials. And we don’t want that! Believe me, I have fought with God a couple of times. But, no matter how many times I kick and scream, he gets his way. And, at the end of the day, the only thing to say is: “Okay, you win. Whatever you want.” But, I tell you that the most satisfying experience, after a long time of prayer and fighting with God— “Come on, help me here!”— is to say, “Okay. You win.”
Whatever comes, God will give us what we need. So, when Jesus is telling us to be constant in prayer, we have to try really hard even when we don’t see God walking with us. We have to trust that whatever he’s asking will give us a more fulfilled life.
Being constant in prayer will help us understand that life is not just about having comfort, peace, or happiness. The constancy of prayer has to lead us through the desert— through those pitch-dark nights when we don’t understand God and we don’t want to talk to him! Even when we don’t want to pray, he’s there. Even when we tell him “I don’t want to talk to you; I don’t want to see you,” we are called to say, “Here I am.” We have to grow in our relationship with God because it’s important, refreshing, fulfilling— but not because we have to do it!
Think about it. How many times have you forgotten to say your prayers? And, do you pray because you have to or because God is important to you?
Let us ask the Lord today for the desire to be in constant unity with him. May we be so in love with him that we desire to reach out to him every day. May he help us to understand his will for us so that we may fulfill what he wants in our lives. For this we pray.
February mailing (English & Spanish)
Footprints
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints; other times, one.
This bothered me because I noticed that, during the low periods of my life when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So, I said to the Lord, “You promised that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that, during the most trying periods of my life, there has been only one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you abandoned me?”
“My precious child,” the Lord replied, “I love you and would never leave you. The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, I have carried you” (Baltimore Pallottines).
“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen” (Psalm 77:19).
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Filed under: blessings, faith, homilies, prayer, spiritual gifts | Tagged: building community, God's master plan, overcoming adversity |
Shared thoughts... 
Fr. Alex makes his point nicely. Too often we demand that God do our will while we fail miserably at doing His will. Is an eternal solace in paradise an entitlement, or must it constantly be earned? Does Baptism wash away all future sins, or must we make constant appeals for mercy and forgiveness?
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
IMHO, human prayer is often a litany of “gimme… gimme… gimme” with all too little praise and thanksgiving. Yet theologians and mystics universally instruct us that meaningful, centered prayer is practiced by immersing ourselves in silence, allowing God to enter and fill that space— and us.
“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).
“… but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:12-13).
So, in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise for life and our blessings, let us be silent and listen for the whisper. And let us accept God’s will with grace.
Listening and learning to simply “let go and let God” takes time, patience, self-awareness, and acceptance. Not easy for some and, once there, we still mess up occasionally— until we intuit the system and see the light. Of course, life is always an obstacle course, but it’s easier to navigate when we resist our old ways. I say this because it took me decades to “get it.”