On Our Knees
theophilus October 9th, 2008
I read somewhere once that a real man is most likely found on his knees; not when he is in some weak act of surrender to another, but rather when he has totally given himself over to prayer.
When I read this comment, I hearkened back to my Catholic high school days when I was “encouraged” to spend what seemed like hours on the unpadded wooden kneelers in the school chapel during prayer time. (In reality, I think the prayer time was something like 15 minutes.) Those kneelers toughened most of us up; you will never find my butt resting on the pew during Eucharistic Prayer or Communion.
But in recalling those days and fast-forwarding to the present, I’ve realized that I am at my strongest when on my knees; in prayer and contemplation.
So, I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking today about today’s gospel from Luke 11 -
“I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
This passage is Christ’s invitation to us to pray. It is his exhortation to us to open up or improve the lines of communication.
And there is every reason why we should improve our prayer life. Prayer extending from faith brings peace, certainty, joy, calm, understanding, hope, mercy, forgiveness, renewal, guidance. Prayer throughout our day is essentially a running conversation with God and those we beseech in heaven. Prayer offers us someone to talk and listen to when we are in need, anxious or despondent, or when we are just thankful or excited.
When times are good, I think we tend to stop our conversation with God. We don’t exactly forget about him, we just keep putting off calling him. God tries to connect with us, but we just ignore him.
And then times get a little dicey; and it is then when God gives us a direct call and tells us to turn to him. He reminds us that we can ask, seek, and knock. We can put all of our trust in him.
Luke 11 is a very appropriate reading as we wind down this week. Whether it’s the “Our Father,” “Hail Mary,” “Angelus,” “Morning Offering,” “Act of Contrition,” the Rosary or the multitude of prayers to and of saints, we can open the line of communication to heaven, especially when we combine these prayers with those uniquely our own. I also think we tend to forget that the Mass is one long prayer.
Remember, real men (and women) do their best work when they are kneeling before God, Christ, Mary, the angels and saints; asking, seeking, knocking. We do our best work when we are communicating with our Creator and his divine company.
And if we interject prayer throughout our day, starting with the moment we wake up and ending with the moment before we fall asleep, I guarantee that we will be at our best. We will be building God’s kingdom regardless of the external environment in which we find ourselves.
So, why don’t we all get on our knees beside our computers; take our right hands; and touch our foreheads, hearts, and shoulders, and let’s begin . . .
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit . . ..”
