Those who scoff at the power of prayer- like the scientists at the New York Times, reject Sacred Scripture and deny the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Recently, California's Governor Gavin Newsom mocked children gunned-down at a Catholic school: "These children were literally praying as they were shot," he wrote on a post on X.
The God Of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is faithful: Romans 9:1-5
Jews ✡️ and Christians ✝️ Unite
Romans 9:1-5 summarizes Paul's deep sorrow for his fellow Israelites who have not believed in Jesus, despite their unique spiritual heritage, which includes being God's chosen people. Paul declares his anguish is so great that he wishes he could be cursed and separated from Christ if it would save them, showing his love for his kinsmen according to the flesh.
Why do we pray? God established work and prayer for the same reason: to grant us the dignity of being active contributors and collaborators with Him.
In LUKE 18:1-8 Jesus shared a parable with his disciples emphasizing the need for persistent prayer. The parable tells of a judge who didn't fear God or respect people, and a persistent widow who repeatedly asked him for justice against her adversary. Although initially unwilling, the judge eventually decided to grant her request to avoid being continuously bothered. Jesus highlighted the judge's dishonesty and then questioned if God would not even more certainly provide justice for His chosen ones who pray to Him day and night, and do so speedily . He concluded by asking if the Son of Man would find faith on earth when He returns
In his homily for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, lectionary 147 Peter Kreeft explains
"In the real world, if we live in the world that is governed by God, the God of love, if our life conforms to the truth, then when we pray we will never, never, never, never, never give up. And God will answer our prayers much more generously than we can imagine. St. Francis of Assisi said to one of his monks, "Tell me, brother, which of the two do you think is the readier: God to grant us grace or we to ask for it?"There is no uncertainty and no change on God's part. But there is uncertainty on our part. We change from faith to unfaith, from trust to mistrust, from patience to impatience, from confidence to despair—and back again. Thus, Jesus ends with these two questions, the same two questions St. Francis asked. First, "Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?" And he answers his own question: "I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily." Then he asks the second question: "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" And he does not answer that question. Why not? Because it is we who must answer that question.
God supplies the water; we turn on the faucet. God is always there for us; we are not always there for him.
Jesus is the world's greatest philosopher, among many other things. He is always right and he is always logical and he is always irrefutable. His argument here is unanswerable: If even wicked men will give us good things if we are persistent enough, will God be less good and less generous than that? Or will he be much more generous? Are we more generous than God? Do we love that friend or family member who right now is suffering and sorrowing and in real trouble more than God does?
Why then does God delay answering our prayers? He never does. We do. We delay in praying. God waits for our prayers. He does not give us the good things we want and ask for without our praying for them, even though he could, because he sees that we need prayer, and the trust that motivates prayer, more than we need the things we pray for.
This reason—the reason why God does not give us the things we pray for, until we pray for them - is the same reason why he does not give us the good things we work for until we work for them.
Both work and prayer operate on the same principle. God established both for the same reason: to grant us the dignity of being active contributors and collaborators with Him. Just as we need the tangible results of our labor like food and shelter, we also need meaningful work itself. Similarly, we need prayer. Through work, we develop strength, wisdom, patience, and persistence. The person performing the work holds greater significance than the work itself, as our inherent value outweighs the work we do. While material possessions gained through work are temporary, we ourselves endure, even into the afterlife.
The Power of Prayer
SIRACH 35:12-14, 16-18: "The LORD is a God of justice,who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.
Again, we call on Peter Kreeft to explain:
Today's Old Testament reading makes the same point Jesus made in last Sunday's Gospel: God hears and answers all prayers, including the most desperate and needy. And he is not unjust or unloving any more than he is deaf and unknowing or weak and unable. He has infinite goodness, infinite wisdom, and infinite power. If that's not true, then God is not God.
He is just, as well as loving. He is not arbitrary; he does not play favorites. He loves every one of us infinitely and equally. But we do not infinitely and equally believe him, trust him, and obey him. He is always faithful to us, but
we are not always faithful to him. He always willingly serves us, but we do not always willingly serve him.
What blocks our prayers from being answered is not anything in God. He always gives us what is best. The block is always in us: in our lack of wisdom to see what is really best for us in the long run, and our not seeing that the thing we need the most is not the thing we are praying for, it is for us to keep praying, to increase our faith and trust rather than our bank account or our job security or our health, even our mental health. Important as all those things are, we ourselves are more important still. God always gives us what we need. even though that is not always what we want.
Not all rockets reach the moon, but all prayers reach heaven. Prayer is like a long-distance phone call that's guaranteed and free. The US Post Office occasionally loses mail, but God never does.
So we should persevere in our prayers. "The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; / it does not rest till it reaches its goal, / nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, / judges justly and affirms the right."
Our prayers are more powerful than we think. Prayer does not change God, but it changes us. And we change others. If we could see all the differences we have made to other people's lives, as Jimmy Stewart did in that great old Christmas movie Its a Wonderful Life, if God showed us all the differences even the smallest of our prayers made to our lives and the lives of all those we came in contact with, and the differences those differences made to all those they came in contact with, down through the generations if God showed us all that, I think we would not be able to get up off our knees again for the rest of our lives."
Rosary in a Year Podcast Audience:
Whether you are a prayer warrior, a neophyte or skeptical, you will benefit from Father Mark-Mary Ames' Rosary in a Year podcast from Ascension.
We pray the Rosary on a daily basis using Kristin's Crosses as a guide. We pray the Rosary before Mass and during Adoration Hour. While we were skeptical of the RIY podcast, we are already in day 297. We found RIY useful,informative and illuminating. We should note that phase six of the RIY - the phase we have been for a month or so, does not add much, other than muscle memory.
Rosary in a Year Podcast
Father Mark-Mary Ames' Rosary in a Year podcast is a guided journey designed to build a habit of deeper prayer over 365 days by starting small and gradually adding prayers. The RIY program is structured in six progressive phases, designed to build a deep, meditative prayer habit. It begins with simple prayers and meditations, gradually adding complexity until listeners are comfortable praying the full Rosary.
- Daily Episodes: Each daily episode is 10–15 minutes long and provides guidance and a short reflection from Father Mark-Mary.
- A gradual approach: The podcast is divided into six phases that slowly build the listener's prayer practice. In the beginning, episodes focus on forming a relationship with Jesus and Mary by praying just one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
- Deeper meditation: Over the course of the year, the podcast guides participants to meditate on each of the mysteries of the Rosary.
- A self-paced program: The structure is flexible, allowing participants to follow the program at their own pace without worrying about falling behind.
The program uses a "start small and build up" approach, similar to the "Couch to 2K" or "Couch to 5K" running programs.
- Gradual addition: The initial phase of the podcast only asks participants to pray the most basic Rosary prayers, followed by a short reflection.
- Increased difficulty: As listeners progress, the challenge gradually increases until they are praying the full five decades of the Rosary.
- Low barrier to entry: This gentle, incremental method makes a year-long prayer commitment approachable for beginners.
The structured format provides guidance that helps draw the mind back to God.
- Daily guidance: The 10–15 minute daily podcast episodes and guided reflections serve as a structure to keep the listener focused.
- Deepening meditation: By incorporating sacred art (Visio Divina) and scriptural meditations (Lectio Divina), the program provides multiple tools for engaging the mind and heart.
- Addressing dryness: By providing fresh reflections, the program can help prevent the repetitive nature of the Rosary from becoming dry and boring over time.
The podcast format is designed to be easily incorporated into daily life.
- Adaptable format: The daily episodes can be listened to while commuting, doing chores, or during a lunch break.
- Short, daily commitment: The short, daily time commitment feels less burdensome than a longer, less frequent one. This helps make prayer a consistent, daily habit instead of an occasional "marathon" session.
The program is structured to anticipate and address periods of low motivation.
- A journey, not a task: The podcast frames the experience as a year-long journey of growth rather than a simple checklist.
- Focus on relationship: By emphasizing the deepening relationship with Jesus and Mary, the program shifts the focus from a "duty" to a "delight".
- Community support: Listeners are encouraged to engage with a community of others also following the program, which can help motivate and sustain them through challenging periods.
The program provides all the necessary tools and information to equip beginners.
- Comprehensive teaching: The phases are structured to teach the biblical roots of the mysteries and the prayers themselves, turning the habit from a simple recitation into a meaningful meditation.
- Visual aids: The accompanying prayer guide includes sacred art to help participants visualize and meditate on each mystery.
- Expert guidance: Father Mark-Mary provides clear, friendly, and accessible guidance throughout the entire year.
- Focus: This initial phase centers on establishing or deepening your personal relationship with Jesus, the Trinity, and Mary.
- Method: Each day, Father Mark-Mary guides listeners in a simple, gentle meditation. The podcast ends with the basic prayers: one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
- Focus: This phase teaches listeners how the prayers and mysteries of the Rosary are rooted in Scripture.
- Method: The daily podcast episodes explore the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The daily prayer remains concise, with one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
- Focus: Listeners are introduced to methods for more deeply meditating on each of the Rosary's mysteries.
- Method: The program incorporates Lectio Divina (prayerful reading of Scripture) and Visio Divina (meditation on sacred art). It also includes reflections from saints. At this point, listeners begin praying a single decade of the Rosary daily.
- Focus: This phase builds the listener's "muscle of prayer" by training them to focus their thoughts during meditation.
- Method: For about 10 minutes, the daily episode focuses on independent meditation on a mystery, using skills learned in the previous phase. Listeners continue to pray one decade of the Rosary.
- Focus: The goal of this phase is to gradually increase the number of decades prayed each day.
- Method: The program slowly adds decades over time until listeners are regularly praying the full five-decade Rosary.
- Focus: In the final phase, listeners are invited to pray the full Rosary with Father Mark-Mary and a community of other listeners.
- Method: This is a communal prayer experience where listeners can put everything they have learned into practice and pray the complete Rosary with a guiding voice.
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