E&W 11-24-13

Sacred Story

Encouragements & Wisdom: November 24, 2013

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Encouragements and Wisdom: November 24, 2013 (PDF).

E & W reflections are additional helps for your Sacred Story prayer journey. Reflect on them at week’s beginning or outside of your 15-minute prayer periods.

The Affirmations

I will not tire of asking God for help since God delights in my asking.

 
The first Angelus address of Pope Francis was delivered to the people of Rome on March 17, 2013. It was the Lenten season and the Pope was speaking about God and forgiveness. He said:

Let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving us, never! ‘So, Father, what is the problem?’ Well, the problem is that we get tired, we don’t want to, we get tired of asking forgiveness. Let us never get tired. Let us never get tired.

The Lord never tires of us asking for forgiveness. We have emphasized this truth in an earlier Affirmation. But it is not limited to forgiveness – the Lord never tires of us asking for help, no matter what the need is!

At times, I am amazed at how often I forget to ask God for help. Yet when I do, God always, always, always helps. Many times the Lord helps me in unexpected ways, but it is always better than what I had expected

Why do we fail to ask for God’s help? Sometimes, we may think that others’ problems are much more pressing than ours and we don’t want to “bother God”. This is a very common thought, but I suspect that this excuse is a form of false humility. At other times, we may be angry with God for the difficulties we face. This anger blocks us from requesting God’s help. Still other times, we may feel hopeless – as if nothing will be able to help us. We give up hope and so do not ask for help

No matter what excuses we use, we must resist our false humility, our angers and our loss of hope and always, always, always ask God to help us. God delights in helping us and His heart goes out to us in our need. Daily ask God for help and begin thanking God daily for hearing your prayer, and for the wonderful fidelity He will display in coming to your rescue.

Lord Jesus, may we always ask for your help
and so more fully experience your love in
Creation, Presence, Memory, Mercy and Eternity.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

(Psalm 122: 1-2)

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