Friar Harry McAlpine

Faithful Friar's Message

Meaningful Prayer

Always a Subject of Interest

Dear Brother Knights & Families,

Personal prayer that is meaningful is important to all of us.  Prayer is a dialogue with God and entails “Abandoning oneself to God’s love”.  I wish to share with you some thoughts in praying posed by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Prayer should not center first on asking God to fulfill one’s hopes and desires, but must include praise, thanks, and trust in God’s plan which may not match one’s own.

The way Jesus prayed to the Father “teaches us that in our own prayers, we must always trust in the Father’s will and strive to see all things in light of his mysterious plan of love”.

Everyone should seek to understand that when asking something of God in prayer “we mustn’t expect an immediate fulfillment of what we are asking for, of our will, but rather trust in the will of the Father”.

Requests, praise and thanks must be included in every prayer, “even when it seems to us that God is not living up to our real expectations”.

The most important thing to discover is that the One who answers humanity’s prayer is more important than the actual prayers answered.

Jesus showed that before grace is received one must “adhere to the giver of that grace, that is, align oneself and comply with God”.

Having God in one’s life, His friendship, His presence, His love are all the more important than any concrete thing that He could give in return.  Jesus “is the most precious treasure to ask for and always safe-guard”.

Because prayer guides people to see beyond their own needs and wants, it also helps open their heart to others and offer them compassion, hope and light that comes from Christ.

Peace,

Fr. Harry McAlpine, Friar

Assembly 2709