23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)
Wouldn’t you love to retreat to a quiet place and spend hours in prayerful adoration of the Lord—even if it meant staying up all night? But we know how hard it can be to stay awake: our eyelids might begin to droop, our minds might begin to wander, and our bed might start looking softer and softer.
Don’t feel too bad. Even the apostles had a hard time staying awake with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
But don’t give up either. God is the One who gave you the desire to pray. So when you find yourself struggling with sleepiness or distractions in prayer, remember one thing: your effort in itself is pleasing to God. Every time you decide to turn to God, every effort you make to come into his presence, makes him happy, regardless of the outcome.
In his book Time for God, Fr. Jacques Philippe develops this idea. He says that if you try hard but are still unable to pray well, you should not be sad. He explains that if “we are incapable of praying well, or producing any good sentiments or beautiful reflections, that should not make us sad. We should offer our poverty to the action of God. Then we will be making a prayer much more valuable than the kind that would leave us feeling self-satisfied.”
If you don’t feel satisfied with your prayer, you can be confident that God is supporting you in your struggle. When you are aware of your weakness and your need, you are much more open to receiving the grace that God wants to give you.
Consider these stories: Pope Francis has admitted to falling asleep in prayer on occasion. St. Jane de Chantal has said, “Neither should we be troubled when we sleep at prayer, provided we resist it. Let us . . . keep ourselves before God as a statue to receive all he sends.” And St. Therese of Lisieux, who would also fall asleep in prayer, assures us that like all parents, God loves his children best when they are asleep.
So don’t give up; you’re in good company!
“Lord, thank you for accepting even my meager efforts in prayer. Lord, help me to stay awake with you.”
1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Psalm 149:1-6, 9
Saint Ambrose (c.340-397)
Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
On the gospel of Saint Luke, 5,41 (SC 45)
“Jesus departed to the mountain to pray”
“At that time Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” Not all those who pray climb the mountain…, but those who pray well, who rise up above the goods of earth to higher goods, climb onto the summit of watchfulness and love from on high. Those who worry about worldly riches or honours do not climb the mountain; no one who covets another’s lands climbs the mountain. Those who seek God go up it and those who go up beg the Lord’s aid for their journey. All great and noble souls climb the mountain for it is not to the first comer alone that the prophet says: “Go up onto a high mountain, you who announce glad tidings to Sion. Cry out at the top of your voice, you who bring good news to Jerusalem,” (Is 40:9). Not by physical exploits but by high-minded actions will you scale this mountain. Follow Christ…; search the Gospel: you will find that only his disciples climbed up the mountain with the Lord.