The daily schedule of our society has certain “normal” expectations built in – lunch hour, “happy hour.” Exercise time, commuter time, bed time, and a few others. But it doesn’t have “prayer-time” built in.
Which means that if I’m going to practice the Catholic tradition of daily prayer, I’m going to have to be “counter-cultural” – a bit out of step.
Which means it won’t just happen naturally: I have to make a decision, do something “unusual.” And then develop it into a habit. (That’s what a “virtue” is – a good habit.)
These daily reflections have been a reminder to pray, and they have provided material for each day. You’ve also experienced a particular kind of prayer – reading a Scripture passage and reflecting on it.
Keep going. Find the form of prayer that fits you. Find the prayer-time, and prayer-place that fits you. Use your Bible!
Prayer is a luxury, a gift given to God’s daughters and sons.
Do it. You deserve it.
Pray daily.
To your epilogue, I would add the following comments from Fr. Altier, in his May 2 homily.
In the Gospel reading today, Our Lord tells us that His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him. Now when we stop to think about hearing the Lord’s voice, it is difficult for most of us because there are so many other voices vying for our ear; what is even worse, there are so many other voices that are trying to be our shepherd. If you just think about the typical day of the average American, many people wake up to the radio, they have the radio on in the bathroom, they have the TV on near the breakfast table, they have the radio on in their car, the radio is on at work, the radio is on again in the car on the way home, the TV is on when they get home, and many people go to sleep with the TV on. Not one minute of silence in the entire day. And the voices that are speaking to so many people are voices that are telling them to do things that are wrong, leading them astray, leading them either more deeply into themselves or more deeply into the profligate way of life that America has now become famous for. What is happening to so many people is they are being led astray, so we need to look seriously at this question of hearing the Lord’s voice.
We have to make sure that we are following the right shepherd. We have a Good Shepherd, and none of us is going to be able to stand before the Lord and say, “But Father said it was okay. The bishop didn’t do anything about it, so it must have been okay.” The Lord will look at you and say, “I’ll deal with that priest or that bishop when they get here. You, on the other hand, knew better, and I’m going to hold you responsible for what you knew.” We know the truth. It is written in our hearts and on our minds; we are without excuse. It would be easy to look around and say, “But look at all the other Catholics who aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do!” God will deal with them, but each one of us will have to stand individually before the Lord, Who is our Shepherd, for judgment. He will look at each one of us and say, “You knew. You knew Me. You knew what truth I preached.” The question is – Did we choose to listen to His voice and follow Him? Or did we choose to listen to someone else’s voice and follow them because it was easier, more convenient, more politically correct, more fun, whatever it might be?