psalm 117: the duty to pray - wednesday 3rd week

Today we read psalm 117.  It is the shortest psalm with only two verses, its message is very concise, very brief but still it is most relevant.  Last Sunday I reflected on the one thing necessary to remind us of the essentials in our life and in our faith that we tend to forget.   Bombarded by so many concerns and by a thousand complexities in our life, in our education and in formation, we often forget the essentials.  Psalm 117 bids us not to forget something essential in our life of faith.  And what is that?  The duty to pray. Psalm 117 is exhorting us to pray.  And this experience of prayer must not remain merely personal but must be shared and radiated to others, and even to all nations.  In a sense also it is exhorting us to give witness to a life of prayer.

Why, why should we pray, why be prayerful?  Psalm 117 gives us the reason - because God's love is steadfast and God is faithful.

Oftentimes this psalm is read in the feast of an apostle.  Why?  Because this psalm speaks of the mission of the apostle – he is to draw all people to pray to God who is steadfast in his love and faithful to his people.  The apostle is first and foremost a witness to a life of prayer.

If we cannot teach prayer, if we cannot form prayerful persons, if we cannot draw people to prayer, then we are not apostles.