Prayer Archives - Father Greg

You Already Promised

Carmelite homily for Friday, February 2, 2024 – Lectionary 524 (Luke 2:22-40) – the Presentation of the Lord

In the Liturgy of the Hours (the Divine Office) we pray three Canticles. In the morning, Lauds, we pray the Canticle of Zechariah (the Benedictus). At Vespers, evening prayer, we pray the Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat). And at Night Prayer, Compline, we pray the Canticle of Simeon (the Nunc Dimitis). In today’s Gospel we have the prayer of the Nunc Dimitis. In all three of these Canticles, it’s interesting, that the prayer – Zechariah, Mary, or Simeon – says, “God you promised this; now you need to deliver this.” Like today Simeon has been promised that he would not see death till he saw the Christ, and he prays, “your word has been fulfilled.” I think that’s the teaching of today’s Gospel of the Presentation, and all these Canticles from Luke’s Gospel – when you pray, pray for something God has already promised. That’s what Zechariah does. That’s what Mary does. That’s what Simeon does in today’s Gospel. We pray for what’s already been promised. What’s been promised? Life. Peace. Adoption into Christ. Fullness of Life. Resurrection. Eternal Life. These are the things that have been promised by God, so we can be cheeky in our prayer – like Zechariah, like Mary, like Simeon. If God has promised, then we can say, “okay, God, deliver.”

Crazy Busy

Carmelite Homily for Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2024 – Lectionary 324 (Mark 5:21-43)

One time I was talking with a vocation prospect on the phone who wanted to meet with me so I gave him my schedule. He says, “you’re not busy; you’re crazy busy.” We’ve heard that phrase before – crazy busy. In today’s Gospel Jesus is crazy busy. He’s going to preach to the disciples, the official comes, “can heal my daughter who is home sick,” he goes to follow him, but the woman is very sick says, “if I but touch his cloak I’ll be cured,” he wants to know who did that, the official’s servants come, “your daughter has died,” he goes anyway, there’s this cacophony of ailing, he says, “but she is sleeping,” and they all laugh at him – crazy busy. We can be crazy busy. Jesus stays focused. He’s wearing the Tsit-Tsit, that’s a tassel that reminds a Jewish man to pray and that’s what the woman who is trying to touch – his center of prayer. And then he does heal the daughter. He remains people-centered and God-centered. That’s the call of today’s Gospel. Saint Teresa of Avila says, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.” Ahh, that could be us. What a pity it is when we have left our families, left our loved ones, under the pretext of work. ‘Dear Abby’ says, “I never met anyone on their death bed who said, ‘I should’ve spent more time at the office.’” Let us remember to be centered on loved ones, centered on prayer, centered on God. So we never say, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.”