Monday 20 November 2017
1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64. Psalm 118(119):53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158. Luke 18:35-43.
Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands — Psalm 118(119):53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158.
‘Give me life, O Lord.’
When Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted of him, the answer came quickly: ‘Lord, that I may see.’ Sometimes our need of God’s help is urgent—in trial or sickness or anxiety. Then we know well what we would answer if Jesus asked us, ‘What do you want of me?’ But, at other times, what would be our answer? Teresa of Avila said that as she grew older her petitions to God became less particular. Her concerns seemed wider, more general. She prayed above all, ‘Thy will be done.’
As parents grow older, their prayers, even though they may be centred largely on their families, grow wider and more general.
The urgency of old gives place to something greater. Let us ask ourselves today what mode of petition we are making, here and now, to God.
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