The Scriptures do not say,
“Sorry God, I don’t have time.”
Take time, today, to pray.
How often have you said, or heard in response, “I just don’t have time!”
Here are 3 incidents from the past few days that have given rise to my reflection(s) concerning ‘time’, today.
1) In preparation for our Lenten Book Study on the ‘Post Pandemic Church’, our chapter for this week is about prayer.
The writer, Thom Rainer, talks openly, and rightly, about the lack of prayer in our personal, parish, and corporate, church-life. Quote:
“I wish I prayed as much as I talk and write about prayer.”
If we truly are going to welcome the ‘post-pandemic church’ into our lives, we are required to engage in prayer. Rainer’s basic thought is: take time to pray.
Within our worship liturgy, we engage in a pre-scribed prayer litany, with little time for personal prayers.
I have moments when I want to leave a blank space in the bulletin for Prayers of the People.
The problem is: we are in a hurry to get church over, so that we can engage in the next activity of the day.
2) Tomorrow, March 25th, is 'The Annunciation of the Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary'.
[Christmas is only 9 months away!]
We need to take time to consider Mary’s response to God:
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
One of the words we often speak about, in connection with Mary, is ‘ponder’.
Each time I remember these words from Mary, I ponder just how these words affected Mary.
Often, we only see the theology of Mary, in being the mother of Our Lord.
How often do we reflect on her time commitment?
In particular, on this day 2022, I am mindful of how much time she spent in prayer, before the birth of Our Lord, and afterwards.
The Scriptures do not say, “Sorry God, I don’t have time.”
3) Daily, I receive an email post from ‘The Brothers of Society of Saint John the Evangelist’: “Brother Give Us A Word”.
A few days past, the 'word' was – Enough.
I share the thoughts of Br. David Vryhof with you, as he has shared in the SSJE community.
Enough: There is enough time to do what we have been asked by God to do, to be whom we have been asked to be. There is time to work and time to rest, time to carry out our tasks, and time to play, times to be together and times to be alone, time to accomplish and time to enjoy our accomplishments.
All time belongs to God, and there is enough. -Br. David Vryhof, SSJE
In the ‘Prayer after Communion’ for The Annunciation, we make the following petition:
“Grant us the humble obedience we see in Mary, that we may respond as willing servants.”
Today, I pray: may that humble obedience be in prayer.
Take time, today, to pray.
Blessings in Christ,
Archdeacon Brian+
