Prayer Life

Praying to God Enriches Our Lives
This week we turn our hearts to reflect on our lives as a call to faithfulness in prayer, faithfulness to the Word of God and faithfulness to true Discipleship and our giving of ourselves in the service and care of the poor. Let’s turn to prayer. We hear from the Wisdom of Solomon. In the seventh chapter and seventh verse we find Solomon praying.  But before we look at his prayer let’s enter his initial reflections at the beginning. Solomon recalls that he is formed from the earth like other men and that he was formed in his mother's womb and like other men was born. This reflection recalls the reality and nature of all that are human. Each person goes through this process whether, rich or poor, powerful or weak, the oppressed and the wicked all have the same beginning. What happens next is we here in this week's reading beginning with the seventh verse.    “I prayed and understanding was given me, I called upon God and Wisdom was given me.” Here the prayer and desire to God and God’s wisdom becomes the impetus to Solomon’s greatness. The right understanding of prayer and the wisdom of God comes from asking and doing so rightly. Let's look at the Apostle James.  James writes in the fourth chapter: "You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy, but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." Look at the fulfilled life, the whole life and satisfied life of Solomon because not only was He a man of prayer but his prayer was not for his selfish desires. He didn't regard God as a Genie that grants wishes, but rather his approach is one of humility and simplicity. To pray rightly and to seek wisdom opens Solomon to far greater possibility in his life.   Priceless gems, wealth and riches are all passing things. The true and righteous prayer for wisdom opens up when we receive the fullness of God's grace and benevolence over our lives. With wisdom all is given in the right time and within the right proration needed at the moment.  What a gift to truly know how to pray and to ask rightly.

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St. Augustine Catholic Church
1169 Kerr Ave.
Memphis, Tennessee 38106
901-774-2297