"Three Things I Pray"

A major theme in this past Sunday's liturgy was the ability to see. In the Gospel, we heard the story of Jesus curing the blind man, and the Pharisees, who, in contrast, had physical vision, but lacked the spiritual clarity to see the pure goodness of Jesus's act of love. Further, we heard of Jesus as being our "light".

Light is so important; without it, we would have a very difficult time getting through our day. Light illuminates our environment so that we know where we are going, and allows us to perform a variety of important tasks. In that vein, Jesus as our spiritual light helps us to see where we are going, by revealing to us the unique gifts we possess and the path down which we are meant to use them, as well as his own life as the most shining, perfect example of how to behave and love. In addition, the light of God helps us to see when we have strayed from our path by making decisions that are not in keeping with the word and love of God. When this happens, we can then follow the light by making amends with God and anyone we have hurt, and correcting our behaviour to be more like Christ.

This last point emphasizes the fact that to "see" is not entirely enough; we must also take an active role in applying that which we see and learn.

In relation to this idea, my choir sang "Day by Day" from the musical Godspell as our second recessional hymn. Here are the main lyrics:

Day by day, day by day
O, dear Lord, three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly 
Day by day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWQEUzOACm4

This uplifting, melodious song gives us great advice for three wonderful things for which we can pray.

1. To See Thee More Clearly

We can pray to God for help with more profoundly understanding His word, both when we hear it during Mass, and when we encounter it during personal liturgical reading. We can ask Him to help us not only see or hear the words but to better comprehend and remember the meanings and teachings within them. We can also pray, as we have discussed in recent blogs, for greater clarity when it comes to discerning one's path in life and figuring out how to live in a way that will best glorify the Lord and serve those around us. Furthermore, we can ask for greater ability to recognize our sins and need for reconciliation with God.

A year or so ago, I heard a metaphor on a Matthew Kelly CD that really stuck with me. He asks us to suppose that our car's windshield is dirty. When we are driving away from the light, we don't necessarily realize the dirt is there; everything looks more or less fine. However, when we change direction, and the light hits our windshield, we suddenly realize it is marred and in need of a good cleaning. Likewise, when our heart and mind are not attuned to the Lord, but distracted by a multitude of other things, it is easy to overlook our sins and think that "everything is fine". With humble prayer, however, we can become more clearly attuned to God's love and word, and we will be better able to tell when our souls are in need of a little (or a significant) purification.

2. Love Thee More Dearly

Is simply knowing what God wants us to do good enough? It is a great start, but that's all it is - a start. It is the total acceptance and embracing of God's word and His will for us that helps us start to move more significantly along our spiritual journey.

Jesus explained that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds. That is, the loving, serving, and glorification of the Lord should be our top priority. When we completely love God and fully accept His will for us, we are in turn better equipped to love and serve others with a pure, Christlike love.

3. Follow Thee More Nearly

Okay, so we have determined what God wants of us, and we have lovingly embraced it. Now comes the hard work; following that path and sticking to it! There can be many roadblocks along the way, such opposition, physical struggles, doubts, fears, and so on. Indeed, following God's plan can involve a lot of self-sacrifice of our time, resources, and desires. When times get tough, what are we to do? Again, we can always pray to the Lord and ask him to help us stay strong and carry on. I often pray to God for help with cultivating what I call the "3 Ps": Patience, Positivity, and Perseverance, and I find that God is always there to help me along. Moreover, as mentioned above, when we do stray from our path (it happens to us all!) we can pray to God for both forgiveness and also the wisdom and fortitude needed to replace our sinful behaviours with more loving ones.


Finally, the title of the song, "Day by Day", reminds us that seeking to cultivate greater clarity, love, and perseverance is not a one-time thing; it is an ongoing process. We receive opportunities to learn and grow every single day, in every experience and encounter, because God is always right there with us. There is no ceiling over our ability to grow in our relationship with the Lord. It is a perpetual, active journey, and how great it is to know that we are never on this journey alone.

May God bless you today and always,
Karen