Salve, Regina, Mater Misericordiae.
Previous in most of the readings for Mass during this week,
we learned about persecution and how we are to expect it,
and indeed how it was to come.
Our Lord told us about how we will not know at the end times
and how people will be eating, drinking, and being married like in the time of Noah
or in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so our Lord was teaching us very clearly that the faithful will suffer persecutions.
Indeed, they will suffer intense persecutions.
The nature of the persecution may vary.
Sometimes it will have a physical aspect, sometimes a spiritual aspect,
sometimes both.
When it is most violent, but always and everywhere he tells us that there will be persecution.
Today, in today's Gospel, he gives us the one remedy for all members of the mystical body
who will suffer the persecutions of the world in worldly ways.
For he gives us a very clear example that prayer is the answer for the times of persecution
and the times of suffering, because the Lord both hears our prayers
and grants what we ask for them insofar as we ask them in true faith.
That is why our Lord concludes this parable by asking whether he will find faith on earth.
And so we must do so because he teaches, he directs, and he strengthens.
And so if we pray to him, then our Lord will truly teach us divine truths.
He will truly direct us in the way of the cross,
and he will strengthen us to endure the persecutions.
And so we must ask the question,
what is the nature of true prayer?
For often, within the ministry of the Lord,
mystical body of Christ and often within the world there is confusion as to our Lord's words
for we hear our Lord tells us that we must pray always and that we must not become wary and so
we must ask for there is a certain error there are two errors essentially in regards to prayer
those who think that they must constantly be in formal prayer and hence they fall into a form of
sloth in which they do none of the human activities required of human souls and there are those who
simply do not pray at all and while they enter intensely into human activities because they do
not pray they do not know how to do them according to the will of God and so many of their human
activities become sinful activities we know full well that is in the case with doctors who perform
abortions that's obviously that those people do not pray at all but there is also an error in which
in which all think our Lord means here that we must constantly and always be in formal prayer
but indeed
as Father Cornelius Lapidate points out in his commentary on the scripture
this was a heresy condemned by the church a certain man named
Eutychides wished
without reason to be always at prayer and to do no manual labor whatsoever no human activity
whatsoever
but it is clear from scripture because the scripture tells us if any man
will not work neither let him eat and so we must understand what our Lord means by this word always
for he means that we must pray always
that is sedulously perseveringly diligently assiduously as in other things in befitting times
especially when temptation persecution and affliction are hard at hand and so in this day
and age when the persecution and affliction of the members of the mystical body is hard at hand
we must pray assiduously for there are many temptations about that seek to lure us from
the mystical body of Christ but our Lord tells us that very clearly that it is important to pray
and it is possible for us to pray always in this
formal sense at all times for we must
have time for eating we must have time for drinking
we must have time for laboring and so
this word always means
that we must continue in prayer
perseveringly or as Saint Alphonsus de Liguri would point out
he who prays saves his soul
he who does not pray
is lost and so
we must avoid the errors
the two errors in regards to prayer
those who do not pray at all
and those who do not pray at all
those who think that they must constantly be engaged in formal prayer
and hence each one falls into a form of sloth
for the one does no work at all
the other does a great amount of work
but often that work becomes sinful because
not having the grace of God
they do not know how to enter into human activity
in accord with the way
that the Son of God himself entered into human activity
and the Mother of God entered into human activity
and Saint Joseph entered into human activity
in that holy home at Nazareth
and so
by prayer we begin to discern
how things transpired in the holy home at Nazareth
and it is there
that we learn how society is to be organized
and so
while we are in constant warfare
and we are in constant temptation
this is the reason
why we must always and everywhere pray
we must pray daily
how often when you talk to members of the mystical body of Christ
amongst the laity and ask
do they make the morning offering
do they begin their day in the morning offering
do they begin their day in the morning offering
do they begin their day in prayer
often the answer is no
and the reason always is given
is because there is too much activity to be done
and so
even the most simple of activities
can become perverted activities
for strictly speaking
it is an easy thing to prepare a meal
for one's loved one
but if that meal is not prepared
with love and devotion
then it does not fulfill the divine purpose
and so
it must be elevated
it must be elevated by prayer
and so
we must pray daily
we must always and everywhere
seek to make that morning offering
by which we take aim
on the activities that we will enter into
during the course of the day
many of the saints have pointed these truths out to us
and have pointed out to us
the necessity of prayer
and the great gifts that are bestowed upon mankind
through prayerful activity
Saint Bede says that mystically speaking
he who prays always
he prays always
who works for God always
and so
Saint Bede is telling us
that if we take aim by prayer
then our activities will be in accord with the will of God
and even if we were to fail
in some of our activities
then our Lord will point that out to us
because we are earnestly seeking to do his will
one of the ancient commentators says
he who prays always
he prays always
who lives virtuously always
and so
prayer is the means by which we
acquire the virtues necessary
Saint John Chrysostom
has a most important point in his prayer
this beautiful passage
in which he commentates
in which he gives commentary
on the true nature of prayer
he says
the Lord would have you to obtain by prayer
that which he wishes to give you
the palace and the ears of princes
are open to few
the ears of God are open to all
who will
and so
prayer is not conditioned by our state in life
but it is our state in life
that requires us to pray assiduously
for the rich must pray in order that they are generous
with the goods that God has given them
and so
God has blessed them
the poor must pray in order that they do not become jealous of the rich
and indeed
that is the crisis in our modern world
the rich think they have the right to get richer
and the poor think they have the right
to steal from the rich
neither one is true
and if either one were praying
then they would understand the true nature
and so
Saint John Clematis tells us
that prayer if we regard its nature or quality
is the familiar conversation
and union of man with God
but if we consider its forcefulness
and efficacy
it is the conversion of the world
our reconciliation with God
the propitiation of sins
the bridge and escape from temptation
the bulwark against the attacks of afflictions
the destruction of war
the office of angels
the food of all spirits
future joy
continual action
the fountain of virtues
the reconciler
and authoress of divine graces
and not content with this
he even speaks of the sin of sin
more exaltingly of prayer
it is spiritual progress
the food of the soul
the illumination of the mind
the acts of despair
the demonstration of hope
the distinction of sorrow
the wealth of monk
the treasures of solitaries
the decreasing of anger
the mirror of religious growth
the index of our stature
the declaration of our condition
the signification of things future
the proof of the glory to come
and so
we have a great gift
and indeed the gift of prayer
is to pray
is a gift that must be acquired
by asking God in prayer
to give us that gift
so we do not avoid either the errors
we know if we are falling into one
that is
if we have too much emphasis
that is we do not understand
and we think that we must
constantly be in prayer
by that fastidiousness that we show
in our work
that seeming inability
to carry out certain works
and we also as it were
know the former error
when we give no thought
as to what the work is done
and so
we simply pray
we simply enter into any activity
indeed
how many Catholics
or how would it have been possible
for contraceptions
to be able to be purchased
over the counter
if Catholics had merely been praying
and had given thought
to what they were doing
when they first came into
the pharmaceutical industry
if they had refused then
then contraception
and its dissemination
throughout this country
would have ended
and so
if they were prayerful
and thinking about the activity
they were entering into
they would not concern themselves
whether they were
in formal or material cooperation
in the sins of those
contraception
and indeed
if they were praying
they would begin to understand
that while the church allows
us to
perform certain works
certain activities
that are not
material cooperation
in the sin of others
it does not say
that we need to remain
in those jobs
it simply advises us
that we can remain in them
for a time
but it also advises us
that it is prudent for us
to seek other employment
if we are involved
in any way
in the sin of others
even if it is not by way
of material cooperation
because
as Pope Pius XII
would point out
if we begin as it were
even when it is permissible
to somehow as it were
be involved
in sinful activity
even though we are not
materially cooperating
it is inevitable
because the effects
of original sin
that we will begin
to think
that that sin
that there is nothing wrong
with that sin
and hence
we become
material cooperators
in the sins of others
and so
let us pray
that all of us
truly understand
this gift of prayer
and let us pray
that all of us
acquire the virtue of prayer
not failing
in either one
of the two forms of error
either by not praying at all
or by praying
in a certain sense
too much
and then shirking
the responsibilities
Saint Pierre would say
that duty
is more important
than pious activity
and so
we see very clearly
from the example
of our Lord himself
even though
some of the saints
like Saint Pierre
had the extraordinary grace
to be constantly united
to God in prayer
he as it were
instructs us all
that that is an extremely
rare gift
that is given to souls
and so
let us strive
by all our activities
by our prayerful activities
by our work for the Lord
let us strive to acquire
that virtue of prayer
by which we are constantly united
by God in prayer
and if God gives us
the grace
to be constantly united
with him
in formal prayer
as he has
with some saints
let us always remember
that they too
entered into activity
Saint John Bosco
particularly comes to mind
who was constantly
in union with God
by formal prayer
and yet
he was perhaps
the most active
of any modern human being
and most especially
of any saint
his activities
for the kingdom of God
were extremely
extraordinary
indeed
it seems to be
almost miraculous
that one man
could do so much work
for almighty God
and yet
he did this work
for the Lord
and so
let us strive
always and everywhere
by a spirit of prayer
to seek to establish
the kingdom of Christ
to seek
to establish
that expression
in all our activities
from the simplest activity
of feeding our families
to the greatest activity
of cooperating
in the building
of cathedrals
or any
of the great works
that are accomplished
by the members
of the mystical body
let us remember
that all activity
is only sanctified
if that activity
is cemented
with prayer
and so
the little works we do
or the great works we do
can all be great works
if they are works
that are done
in a spirit of prayer
in reparation
for our sins
so that we may
as it were
come to see
at the end of time
that greatest
of all
those things
that we seek to acquire
that is
the vision of our Lord
and Savior
for all eternity
in heaven
and in order to get there
we must enter
into the life of prayer
by which alone
we can acquire the grace
to do all things well
and we can acquire
the knowledge of God
and so
let us
if we are to teach the faith
understand
that we must be
prayerful people
for St. Albert the Great
whom we celebrate today
certainly was another man
who understood
the true nature of prayer
for in his prayer
he became a great teacher
and indeed
he was the formator
of both
St. Thomas the Baptist
Aquinas
and St. Bonaventure
and so
his activity
was truly activity
and so
when he taught
he truly taught his students
the love of Almighty God
and if we enter into prayer
as it is explained
and understood
by the church
then we too
when we teach
or in any of our activities
will speak of Almighty God
and the souls
that we have been entrusted with
the souls that we come across
will be edified
by our good example
because
it will not be the example
of ourselves
in the effects
of original sin
in our personal sins
but somehow
they will see through
our defects
they will see through
our defects
the Christ
whom we wish to see
in their souls
and so
let us always strive
like the Mother of God
by all our activities
by our prayerful activities
and by our human activities
let us seek always
to communicate
as the Mother of God did
let us seek to communicate
the Christ Child
the one gift of the Father
whom the Father wishes us
to receive in this life
through the sacramental life
and the prayer life
and to receive for all eternity
when we see the Blessed Trinity
as He truly is
with God
we are quickly
د Microsoft
Microsoft Fortune
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com
www.microsoft.com