God answers our every prayer

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Jesus tells his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives; and one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” In today’s Gospel (Matthew 7:7-12), Jesus tells us that when we talk to God, he listens. That God answers our every prayer. Prayer develops that personal communication with God that makes us his intimate friends. “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4). How can we receive God’s graces unless we open our hearts to the Lord. God is always there for us – are you there for Him? During Lent, we are asked to pray more. Unfortunately, in today’s secularized world, Spirituality is under attack. We are told not to pray in public. We are told not to be visible in our prayer life because it might offend someone. Pray does not offend. Pray is salvation. Today’s reading is from the Book of Ester. Ester was a Queen of Persia at a time when the Jews were about to be exterminated by King Ahauserus. She could of stood silently alone and let the Jews be slaughtered. Instead, we prayed for the wisdom and strength to talk to King Ahauserus. This could have meant certain death for her, but she did it anyway. She asked for the strength and she was given the strength. By her pleading and her prayers, the Jews were saved. Prayers are very powerful, use them to form an intimate relationship with God. Pope John Paul the Great said, “Our Christian communities must become genuine ‘schools’ of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion until the heart truly ‘falls in love’.” A Simple Prayer “Heavenly Father, thank you for enabling me to pray for others. Trusting that you will always give good gifts to your children, I surrender my life and desires into your hands.” Yours in Christ Michael Marcon