Prayer

The second reading this week is rather short, but extremely profound. Something I have noticed going through the different stages in my life is that prayer changes with you as you mature. Prayer is not something that is done “right” or “wrong” per se. In fact, there are many different forms of prayer that fit a range of lifestyles. As a young adult in your 20s or 30s, you are probably busy. As a young adult we have a lot going on: weddings, careers, schooling, children, volunteering, etc. The best thing about our Lord is that he is available 24-7.

Prayer is a relationship. It isn’t simply stating our needs before God like a shopping list. In any relationship, communication is one of the most important factors. For example, if I am with a friend and all I am doing is talking about my wants and needs, I do not give my friend any time to respond or tell me about his wants or needs. I am being pretty selfish in the conversation and even worse, I am being a bad friend. Obviously it feels a lot different when we sit down to pray because we can’t always hear God or we feel like He isn’t listening. Nevertheless, God is always available and always willing to sit and listen to us.

Prayer can be compared to a cell phone service. The major difference is that we have the best network you could possibly imagine. We have the ultimate 3G (3 persons, 1 God) – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are no limits on messaging, minutes, or long distance. God is always available. He has us penciled in; it is up to us to keep the appointments.

You may be thinking that there is way too much going on for me to sit down and pray. Well not everyone needs to take hours out of their day to pray in solitude. However, you and I can pray throughout the day. We can say a rosary on the way to or from work. We can do daily readings of Scripture when we wake up and think about them throughout our work day. We can offer hours of work or school up for someone who needs it. Before we go to bed, we can recount our actions during the day—recognizing the times we failed and ask for the grace and strength we need to get through tomorrow. There are multiple forms of prayer that we can do at different times in the day.

So as the 2nd reading states, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” Let the Spirit help you pray. Allow Him to guide you into making your day prayerful. Let Him guide your conversations, your thoughts and your actions.
Saints for Young Adults
Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He enjoyed the outdoors and constantly would climb mountains with friends. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, Catholic Action, and was a third order Dominican. He would often say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform." He helped establish a newspaper entitled Momento, whose principles were based on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical: Rerum Novarum. (source: Catholic Online) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frasatti was a young “normal” guy who dedicated his life in service of others. He loved to care for the poor and those less fortunate.