Connections&  
July 29 -- 17th Sunday of the Year

• "When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come...   "If you, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"       Luke 11:1-13
  

If I had my child to raise over again

A little boy approaches his slightly older sister with this question: 
"Susie, can anybody ever really see God?"
     Busy with other things, Susie curtly replies, "No, of course not, silly.  God is so far up in heaven that nobody can see him."
     Still wondering, he approaches his mother:  "Mom, can anybody ever really see God?"
     "No, not really," his mother says gently.  "God is spirit and he dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see him."
     This answer satisfies him for the moment, but he still wonders.
     A few days later his beloved old grandfather takes his grandson on a fishing trip.  They have a great time together - it has been an ideal day.  As the sun begins to set, the grandfather stops fishing and turns his full attention to the beauty unfolding before their eyes.  On seeing the peace and contentment on his grandfather's face, the boy thinks for a moment and asks hesitantly:  "Grandpa, I - I wasn't going to ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell me something I've been wondering about for a long time.  Can anybody ever really see God?"
     The old man does not even turn his head.  A long  moment slips by before he finally answers.  "Son," he  responds quietly, "it's getting so I can't see anything else."

    [Source unknown.]

CONNECTION:  Authentic prayer is not a formula or ritual but an awareness of God's presence in our lives, of God's hand as sustainer and nurturer of creation, of God's love giving breath to every moment of our existence.  Jesus calls us to be men and women of prayer:  to embrace the spirit and attitude of prayer that actively seeks out and gratefully celebrates God's      presence in all things. ¦