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ne day God decided to have a conference with representatives of different religious groups. He summoned a Protestant minister, a Catholic priest, and a Rabi, and said, “I have seen so many problems in the world. People are confused. They seem not to know the truth to follow. You are the leaders, I will grant each of you a wish. Whatever you ask me to do to make the world better I will grant it.
The Protestant said, “God, please get rid of all the Catholics and the world will be fine. They have made people confused. They have led people to wrong directions. They have made Rome, Fatima, Lourdes, and many others earthly locations to be holy places. They canonized a few extraordinary men and women as saints to make the rest of the world feel inadequate. People are distracted, and confused. You just get rid of all of them and the world will be fine.”
The Catholic priest prays, “God, that is not true. Please get rid of all the protestants. They are the troublemakers. They have been deceiving people. They rejected the leadership established by Christ for the Church. At the beginning there was only one Church. Now you see, how many protestant denominations? They are the problem. They cause the confusion in the world. Because of them, there is no unity now. If you just get rid of them, then the world would be wonderful again.”
God turned to the Rabi, but he did not make a move; he was just standing there quietly. Finally God had to remind him that it was his turn to present his petition. The Rabi humbly said, “ Dear God, I am satisfied. I do not need to ask for anything else, please just accept the prayers of the Protestant and the Catholic. And the world would be OK.”
Prayer at Kansas Senate
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, in 1996, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
Heavenly Father, We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;
We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation;
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;
We have abused power and called it political savvy;
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will. I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ.
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
Bartimaeus
The blind man Bartimaeus gives us a good lesson about prayer. He was blind. He was a beggar. He had no sight, no job, no food, no clean clothing. But he knew how to pray.
Hearing that Jesus was coming, he cried out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” No one could stop him.
He had been sitting on the side of the road for years. He was a professional beggar. He knew what he wanted. He knew how to ask for food, for drinks, for money. He knew to take care of himself. So when Jesus came, he did not ask for these things. He asked for something that others could not do for him.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks.
“Master, I want to see!” He called Jesus Son of David. He had insight about the identity of Jesus, but he was not able to see his face. So he said, “Master, I want to see.”
The first thing Bartimaeus saw was Jesus’ face. He saw Jesus’ face, and he followed HIM.
Jesus is also asking you and me today: “What do you want me to do for you?” This does not means that he doesn’t know what we want. His question makes us to search our souls to find out what we want. His question helps us to be aware of our real concerns.
Illustration:
Last Sunday evening, when I was resting in the rectory, the door bell rang. I went to open the door, a teenager look sad and upset, “Father, can I talk to you.” We sat at the shrine of the Blessed Mother talking for about 30 minutes. She said, “Father, my dad is driving me crazy, and I don’t know what to do. I have tried my best in school. I did my home works, but he was not happy with me.”
Another teenager also asked me: “Father, why my parents brought us into the world and now they are divorcing each other?” I told her, “Honey, I do not know either. We need to pray so that se can understand.”
“Master, I want to see.”
I want to see your presence in my brothers and sisters:
I want to see your presence in my parents, in my children, and in my spouse.
I want to see your presence in the Eucharist.
I want to see your presence in the Church, and in the Sacraments of the Church.
“Master, I want to see.”
Rev. John Tran Kha
Houston, TX
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