My dear parishioners, for myself, I pray for contentment. That’s all I pray for. I’m not in the habit of praying for anything else for myself with one exception — I pray that God will forgive my sins. Yet I’ll pray for anything for the sake other persons — Would you bless my doll? . . . My husband is out of work. . . Pray, Father, that we’ll win the game. . . . Pray that my medical tests will be okay, Father. All requests for prayers are genuine. And I always pray for the needs of others as God’s Spirit reveals them to me.
 
I can’t remember when I last prayed for anything tangible with respect to my own life and circumstances. I have great certainty that God knows what we need before we ask him. [cf Mt 6:8]  Keep mind that Our Lord prayed for two things for himself only, one material: “I thirst” [Jn 19:28]; the other divine: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Mk 15:34]  Accordingly, we should not rattle on when we pray. Prayer is best when it does not neglect holy silence in the presence of God. I find joy in praying with the Sacred Scriptures.
 
St. Paul found strength in his weakness, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content . . .”  [2Cor 12:10]  He learned in whatever state he found himself “to be content”.  [Phi 4:11]  The Apostle to the Gentiles teaches us that praying for “unseen” things is a sign of spiritual wisdom and maturity. Unseen things are those things which have value both on earth and in heaven. Hence, you would do well to pray often for an increase of confident FAITH. Pray to grow in perfect LOVE, the queen of all virtues, which knows no selfishness. Pray for unwavering HOPE which directs you to God, the source of all good.
 
There are many more unseen things:  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” [Gal 5:22-23] Pray for courage to witness the gospel, a “happy death”, favorable  judgement before God, understanding the divine mysteries. Pray for these things, and then wait for them in patience. [Rom 8:25] 
 
It seems to me that we must ask Our Lord constantly for grace like a spoiled rich child would ask his indulgent parents for money! We should ask for grace upon grace in prayer. And we should spend it lavishly for the good of souls. This is our right, indeed our necessity, our life blood.
 
Often Christians balk, uncomfortable with the expectations of prayer. Understandably, most persons have some fear in this regard. The soul resists habitual prayer because it a loss of control. It fears that time alone with God is an admission of crushing inadequacy. In St. Therese’s way of thinking, such anxieties are never too complicated: “Let them do, then, what I did:  Exert a great effort. God never refuses that first grace that gives one the courage to act; afterwards the heart is strengthened and one advances from victory to victory.”
 
Prayer is the golden thread God weaves through all our challenges and difficulties—mending tears, patching what has frayed, repairing brokenness, and binding wounds—all according to his design. No human frailty is greater than God and beyond the reach of a prayerful solution. But we must trust God and depend on him for everything we need—“Give us this day our daily bread.”
 
Finally, when you pray offer your gratitude to God, especially with regards to his gracious gift of the “unseen things” which surely bind us more closely to him than possession of all the mountain ranges of earth, or the mastery of all the seas or absolute dominion over all the peoples of the world. Show gratitude! “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”.  [Heb 12:28]  

Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Your pastor,
Reverend Richard Barker.