Prayer Challenge

Last Sunday’s gospel spoke about the familiar parable of the Sower and the Seed. We are told that some of the seed fell on rich soil and produced much fruit. Our challenge is to prepare the soil of our hearts so that the seed may flourish within us. How can we become that “rich soil”?

An obvious answer is to be a person of prayer. Through prayer we nourish our relationship with God and can be attentive to God’s will for us. This is the spiritual work of all Christians but especially for those who are called to be ministerial leaders. It is difficult to give to someone else what you yourself do not possess. The words of the airline flight attendant provide a great reminder, “adjust your own oxygen mask before helping the person next to you.” So too as ministerial leaders, we must connect to our own “spiritual oxygen” before ministering to others.

The slower pace of summer might be a great time to take on a prayer challenge—that we challenge ourselves to pray daily. If that is already your habit, then challenge yourself to increase your prayer time.  If you pray two minutes, increase to five. If you pray five minutes, increase to ten. Let us challenge ourselves to reach 15 minutes per day by the time that classes resume in September. (But don’t stop there, try for 30!)