A FEW days ago, I was telling my parishioners in a homily about a Catholic priest who was traveling by train through Siberia. Sitting next to him in the train was a Buddhist monk. Both were praying according to their faith tradition – the Buddhist monk with his wooden beads and the Catholic priest with his breviary. The Buddhist monk noticed the holy card tacked inside the Catholic priest’s breviary. It was a picture of the Blessed Mother, Mary, holding her infant son, Jesus. Not being able to withhold his fascination with the holy card, he asked the priest, pointing at the picture of Jesus, “Is that her son?” The priest nodded with a brief smile. Then the Buddhist monk remarked, “He certainly looks like her mother.” The Catholic priest responded, “No, it’s the other way around; it’s the mother who looks like her son.”
This is a beautiful story to illustrate the purpose of prayer. At times, we think that the purpose of prayer is merely to ask God to listen to our needs, to grant us favors, to give him praise and worship, or to ask him for forgiveness. The purpose of prayer is much deeper than these motives. It’s to fashion ourselves according to the image and likeness of Jesus.
Yes, prayer should shape our hearts and purify our minds according to the life and teachings of Jesus, removing all pride, malice, arrogance, hatred, and selfishness. This would bring should bring clarity of purpose and stillness into our lives.
This deeper insight on prayer connects well then with the Second Reading this Sunday on the Letter of James. St. James tells us, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” The Christian faith that we manifest through prayers, sacramental rites, and devotions should lead us to authentic living of this religion through concrete acts of love and charity.
This is our big cross as followers of Christ: the letting go of our personal will and desires to configure our hearts and mind according to the image of God. It’s what Jesus confronted his disciples with when he said, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”
We can carry this big cross with the centering practice of prayer. Through prayer, we humble ourselves and soften our hearts to grow always in the image and likeness of Jesus.
* * *
Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
