Daily Gospel Reflection for May 11, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

It can be easy to grow weary in prayer, especially when we perceive our prayers as unheard or unanswered. Jesus teaches us to be persistent, to persevere in prayer, and to ask of God, the Father, in Jesus' holy name. The act is not to manipulate God but to be united with the Triune God in love and, most importantly, trust. I'm going out on a limb here and guess that since Jesus takes the time to teach about this lapse in prayer (again and again), the dilemma of prayer is quite universal.

My most significant crisis of faith and my fading desire to pray came after two devastating pregnancy losses. In just a few years, after giving birth to a very premature baby, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy, which nearly took my life, and a subsequent miscarriage. After losing my second child, I abandoned praying. Why bother? Either God wasn't listening to me anymore, I didn't know how to pray properly, or maybe God was just in my imagination—each of my false conclusions did very little to encourage me to continue the practice of prayer.

In John's Gospel, I discovered a powerful, profound verse that forever changed my heart toward prayer:

"Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete."

Joy is the goal of prayer, which is not the same as earthly happiness. It is something far beyond what this world has to offer. In this world, Jesus teaches, you will have difficulties, but He urges us to take heart because He has overcome the world. No matter my best efforts, I cannot stay away from prayer in this world, and to prepare myself for the next, I need Jesus (and prayer)!

Ponder:

Has there been a time you wanted to abandon prayer? Maybe that is today? How do Jesus’ words in John’s Gospel return hope to your heart and to the value of being persistent in prayer?

Pray:

Jesus, in your holy name, I pray. Hear and answer my prayers if they are the will of the Father and if what I ask brings me closer to experiencing the joy You wish to complete in me.

Click to tweet:
Either God wasn't listening to me anymore, I didn't know how to pray properly, or maybe God was just in my imagination—each of my false conclusions did little to encourage me. #DailyGospel

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