Jesus always taught His disciples the importance of prayer as He made prayer a daily practice and routine in His life and ministry. He also taught His disciples and us, how to pray, when He taught them the “Our Father,” in Luke Chapter 11, verse 1 to 4. As Catholic Christians, we are taught that prayer is of supreme importance in our lives, and a do-without in our daily routine. What is prayer? Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy said Saint ThéRèse of Lisieux. For Saint Augustine, True prayer is nothing but love. According to Saint John Vianney, prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly defines prayer as a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (CCC, no. 2558). Prayer is Christian "insofar as it is communion with Christ" (CCC, no. 2565), and prayer is a "covenant relationship between God and man in Christ" (CCC, no. 2564). Hence, prayer is an essential part of lives as Christians, that is why the Church always talks about its importance in our lives as Christians. The Church through the Scriptures, its teachings, doctrines, sacraments, and liturgies always reminds us of the significance of prayer in our lives as Catholic Christians. But notwithstanding all these definitions of prayer, it is important to note that, there is a huge difference between knowing about prayer or know what prayer is, and knowing how to pray. In today’s gospel reading, with the story of the Canaanite woman, Jesus gives us the prerequisites for praying well and teaches us how to pray well with her example. These prerequisites are as follows: confidence in God, consistent perseverance, committed faith, sincerity and deep humility. The Canaanite women exemplified all these prerequisites. She sincerely approached Jesus with a true committed faith and confidence in Him that He can, and will heal, her daughter tormented by a demon. How strong is your faith in God? How confident are you when you approach Him in prayer? Do you truly believe in Him when you call on Him in prayer for your needs, worries, challenges and problems or are you uncertain and doubtful? Are you sincere in your approach to God in prayer, or are you just going through the motions when you pray, without dedication and commitment? The Canaanite woman was very persevering in her quest to have Jesus heal her daughter. Notwithstanding being ignored by Jesus at first, she persistently kept on calling out after Jesus to heal her daughter. She never gave up, and she received not only what she needed at that moment, but was praised by Jesus, with these words, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” How persevering are you in your prayers? How persistently do you ask for your needs in prayer? The Canaanite woman was also very humble in her approach to Jesus. She called out to Him in these words, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” She came over to Him in humility, and did Him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” Even when Jesus responded to her saying, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She humbly replied, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” How humble are you when you pray? Do you pray with a humble demeanor, or do you pray with a prideful attitude? My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us learn how to pray better from the example of the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel reading, by praying with total confidence in God, with consistent perseverance, with enormous faith and belief in God, with sincerity, and with deep humility.

RevFICO
RevFICO

Editor & Spiritual Director