“For your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” — Matthew 6:8

It’s been four years since I gave a talk in my community. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to give three talks in a Baguio retreat. “Can I do this?” I got worried when I thought of all my deadlines at work. I prepared myself to go without sleep. It was the only way I could finish my work and produce the talk materials from scratch. I prayed to God, “I surrender this service to You. I’ll do what I can. Please fill in what is lacking.” Then one amazing thing after another started to happen.

I mentioned the retreat to my friend Aida and she volunteered to go with me. She also offered to do the Powerpoint presentations for my talk and she did them wonderfully.

During the retreat, an old man came to our venue begging for food, just as I was saying, “Put others’ interest before your own.” As if on cue, a sister went out and handed him a bag filled with food. I believe that old man was Jesus. He came to visit us and gave us the chance to practice what we have learned.

The Father knows what we need. He generously pours His blessings upon us even before we ask Him. Dina Pecaña (dina.p@

shepherdsvoice.com.ph)

Reflect: “God hears more than what we say, answers more than what we ask, gives more than we imagine, in His own time and in His own way.” (Anonymous)

Jesus, You are the faithful Provider. Though silent, may You hear the words I speak in my heart. Amen.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, martyr, pray for us.

Today’s reading revels in the wonders of the great men and women of the Old Testament. These people left behind a legacy that has endured three millennia. Let us willingly surrender to God’s grace such that the wonders of Elijah and Elisha can be revisited by the world through us.

Sirach 48:1-14

1 Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. 2 Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; 3 by the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. 4 How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? 5 You brought a dead man back to life from the nether world, by the will of the Lord. 6 You sent kings down to destruction, and nobles, from their beds of sickness. 7 You heard threats at Sinai, at Horeb avenging judgments. 8 You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance, and a prophet as your successor. 9 You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. 10 You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship. For we live only in our life, but after death our name will not be such. 12 O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind! Then Elisha, filled with a twofold portion of his spirit, wrought many marvels by his mere word. During his lifetime he feared no one, nor was any man able to intimidate his will. 13 Nothing was beyond his power; beneath him flesh was brought back into life. 14 In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous deeds.

P S A L M 

Psalm 97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

R: Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

1 The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. (R) 3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes round about. 4 His lightnings illumine the world; the earth sees and trembles. (R) 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. (R) 7 All who worship graven things are put to shame, who glory in the things of nought; all gods are prostrate before him. (R)

GOSPEL  

Babbling is an interesting word. It is onomatopoeic, which means exactly what it sounds like. It is often associated with a brook, which gurgles familiar sounds that mean nothing. It is applied often to newborn babies who begin prattling and experimenting with words that sound like words but mean nothing at all.

Babbling is definitely not the way to go when it comes to prayer. The Lord told us to pray perseveringly but He did not teach us to flood the gates of heaven with gibberish and loveless prattle. He taught us how to pray and offered the model of prayer, the “Our Father.” at prayer is centered on God, not on man. It is focused, first and foremost, on giving God what is due Him, and only after giving God His due are we taught to ask for what we need, not what is due to us in strict justice. The “you” tributes precede the “we” petitions.

I remember the bilmoko (buy me that) commercial many years ago. The ditty behind the commercial pictures the common demand of people who have relatives from abroad: “Bilmoko n’yan, bilmoko noon!” (Buy me this; buy me that!) It illustrates a relationship of dependence where the giver has the monopoly of the burden and the recipient has a huge sense of misguided entitlement.

I confess that I tend to be very impatient. I have little patience for those who manipulate others with loquacity and a lot of sweet talk. While God is not one who would lose patience like me over empty chatter, praying as we ought to does not mean doing like the pagans do and trying to manipulate God through endless babble. What counts is not verbal diarrhea but the intensity of love behind the torrent of words.

Praying as we ought to is praying like we are meant to be — persons in an intimate relationship with God. They love God intensely. And sometimes they use words. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

------- REFLECTION QUESTIONS -------

Do you have a regular prayer time? What normally happens during your prayer time?

Dearest God, may my prayer come from a fruitful relationship with You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________