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I received this e-mail a few weeks ago, and I'd like to begin this week's reflection with it:
Diane, a young university student, was home for the summer. She had gone to visit some friends one evening, and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year. Diane ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.
When she reached the alley, which was a shortcut to her house, she decided to take it. However, halfway down the alley, she noticed a man standing at the end as though he was waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection. Instantly, a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her and she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.
The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy, and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep. Thanking the Lord for her safety, and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.
The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.
The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone; she had two tall men walking on either side of her."
Moral of the story: Don't underestimate the power of prayer!
As sophisticated Americans, we might disregard this story and say it comes from the writer's active imagination. I don't know if it is actually true or just an inspiring story. But it made me stop and think about prayer. I do know
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that prayer day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, eventually transforms us. We see life with a totally new vision. We see ourselves differently… and usually for the better. Prayer wakes us up to the abundant love of God in our lives and to the truth of life. Prayer lets the truth of God get into the deepest part of ourselves. Life is not about having more, becoming better, getting smarter, or any number of things. Ultimately life is about LOVE, waking up to the fact that God has always loved us and always will. Prayer helps us "see" that we have everything that we will ever need.
Prayer helps us live in the present moment, the best place to be. Why do we have to do three things at once? We can be driving the car, talking on the phone, playing a CD; all at once. Then the phone beeps to tell us we have another call. Have cell phones, instant messaging services, beepers, and call waiting been a blessing in our lives? They make us constantly available, whether in the middle of a meaningful conversation, at the movie, at Church, even when we are asleep. Do you answer the phone when you are in the bathroom? We have lost TIME: time to be alone; time to be in the present moment; time to play with our kids; time to enjoy creation; time to listen to God?
Hectic lives. Busy schedules. Pressure. Radio and TV. The newspaper. Constant communication. Noise. And yet, we still want to do more. When you get a few minutes to yourself can you be still and relax, or do you look for something more to do? Psalm 46 tells us, "Be still and know that I am God." We must find God in the silence of our lives. Look and see how silent creation is: the sun, the moon. the grass, the trees, etc.
Silence is a gift to enjoy our own company, and to allow God into our lives; we can find calm in our lives when we are quiet and alone. Prayer is not a waste of time. Even though we believe that "TIME is money," we absolutely need to develop interior lives and to take care of our souls. How much time do you set aside each day for yourself and for God. If we "try to find" time for self and God we won't find it. We must make time every day for God and self. If we don't, we will be BORED and RESTLESS. Good way to live?
Let us pray! We begin by being quiet, still, and listening. Can we do it in December with the shopping, cooking, entertaining, and decorating?
Fr. Bill
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