Jesus’ early disciples, as we meet them in the Gospel, are all adults. They include fishermen, homemakers, and tax collectors. They have learned trades and disciplines. They have also learned who God is and how to pray from their religious rulers. There is much they know. Then Jesus comes along. They do not entirely know about this man. Jesus himself does not know what he will eat this day or where it is he will sleep this night. He is a bit child-like, willing to be surprised; open to learning or discovering even that. the disciples become a bit child-like with him, also open to learning or discovering. For example, how Jesus prays. They see Jesus pray, regularly, but it is unlike the praying they know from their religious rulers. Jesus’ prayer reveals a Real Presence and acts as an invigorating energy. It is something like a fountain of youth. Disciples therefore ask Jesus: “Teach us to pray.”
Jesus obliges and begins by teaching disciples to pray with an intimately loving Real Presence, Abba. The prayer is now referred to as the Our Father. He is teaching that a new Community is rising up within Caesar’s falling kingdom. Amidst Caesar’s kingdom and its armed avarice, Jesus teaches youthful trust and communal vulnerability, “give us this day our daily bread.” Amidst Caesar’s violence Jesus teaches “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” He teaches that prayer flows as a gift of the Spirit into young hearts: “For if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more does God give the Spirit to those who ask.” What are the good gifts we give to our children? Do we give them the gift of prayer – the revelation of Real Presence which acts as an invigorating energy? Who might they receive this gift from if not from us? How is prayer like a fountain of youth in our lives, in theirs? Perhaps we might find that prayerful fountain of youth within others, for example, those who are young and ask them: Teach us to pray. What would we learn?
We can learn much from children in prayer. Perhaps the prayer of young ones could teach us about peacemaking skills: “Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother. Sincerely, Larry” Perhaps they could teach us to be openly curious about life’s mysteries: “God, I read the bible. What does beget mean? Nobody will tell me. Love Alison” They could teach us how to be thankful even when life is tinged with disappointment: “Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up. Joyce” They could teach us how to be invigorated and energized; to be refreshing and revel in what is new: “Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really cool. Thomas.” (Children’s Prayers to God)
Prayer: Spirit, teach us to sit at the feet of wisdom, no matter its age or appearance, and learn.
Question: How does prayer bubble up within me as a fountain of youth?
July 24, 2016 Gospel Luke 11:1-13 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time