Time to pray

The story is told about an elderly woman in a plane flight who was seated beside a young man who, throughout the flight, was engrossed in his TV monitor and assorted gadgets. After he had one drink too many, the young man became loud and rowdy. As the plane was encountering turbulence, the elderly woman began scolding the young man. “We can crash anytime. For once in your life, do something religious!” she said. The young man paused, thought for a while, stood up, went down the aisle, and took up a collection!

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In today’s Gospel (Mk. 1, 29-39), Jesus teaches us what to do in life, and that is to be involved with others. In His life, from sunrise to sunset, He was busy helping, not Himself, but others. Jesus also teaches us what to do when we are tired or stressed, and that is to pray.

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Play time and prayer time. We spend a lot of our waking hours working, entertaining ourselves, and doing all sorts of self-compensation and gratification, neglecting prayer time. Let us ask ourselves today: How many hours do we spend in a day to play, and how many hours do we spend to pray?

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Busy? For what? Doing what? At the end of our lives, may we have little or no regrets that we spent our lives pursuing fleeting, empty and meaningless goals and achievements. On the same count, may we not be filled with regrets that we put aside our relationship with God in the pursuit of worldly, empty relationships. Invest on service, and invest on prayer. With these, you cannot go wrong.

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One would think that Jesus would take a longer rest after a hectic and tiring day. But no, He would go to a deserted place to pray. It is in His communion with the Father that Jesus found strength and guidance. The reason He was close to and in touch with the people was this: He was close to and in touch with the Father.

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Jesus also had advisers, but He was not dependent on them who saw only the pragmatic, the practical and the tactical. Often in the Gospels, we hear of Jesus overruling and overriding the advice, the suggestions, the objections, and even the affections of people close to Him. He had a mind of His own, and He had a heart of His own. Here was Someone who knew how to let go and to let God.

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People who talk smart, or at least try to, end up talking empty, like clanging cymbals. They have no depth, and after a while their shallowness shows. Only he/she who talks with the heart touches other people’s hearts. Only he/she who spends quality time in prayer can really talk with substance. In the same way, only he/she who listens to God in prayer can really be in tune with the people in thoughts, words and deeds.

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Feb. 11 is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also the World Day of the Sick. Let us continue to pray and become instruments of healing for those who are physically, emotionally and spiritually sick. Let us pray also for the healing of families and relationships. And let us pray for the healing of our land, and of the whole world.

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May our sickness and suffering bring us closer to God’s heart. Those who go through sickness or suffering of any kind are recipients and channels of tremendous graces and blessings. Salamat po sa malasakit!

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Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day, the day of hearts. Let us not forget that we have hearts, and that matters of the heart do matter. Never mind if we become penniless or hairless, as long as we do not become heartless!

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Eusebia Lozada, the 90-year-old mother of Jun Lozada, has gone home to the Father in heaven. She bore 13 children, and raised them with the heart of a real mother. Yes, a mother’s heart is closest to God’s heart. As I said a prayer for her, I asked her to continue to pray for us and for our motherland. I ended my prayer with the words: “Best regards to my Mama!” Yes, we are always united in God’s heart!

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Let me end with a story I heard about a man who was always so busy that he had no time to pray. When he died, and he arrived at the gates of heaven, the Lord asked him what his name was. When he said his name, the Lord searched long and hard for his name in His book, but could not find it. Finally, the Lord looked at him and said, “Ah, I remember now. I was going to write your name in the Book of Life once, but I had no time to write it down.”

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Think about this: “Living a life without prayers is like building a house without nails. Truly, our Lord is our firm foundation. When the storms come, we will not be shaken.”

“Sometimes it’s important to take time out and just enjoy the little things in life. God wants you to serve Him but He doesn’t want you to be so busy that you can’t take time to enjoy the wonderful life that He has given you.”

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help us to take time and make time to pray. Otherwise, we will go astray. Amen.