September 18, 2005: Prayer & Canadian Geese

+THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

One of the special ways that I pray every morning is by taking my dog, Maggie, for a walk around the high school athletic field. Actually, I walk and she runs. As Maggie dashes around sniffing and exploring, I talk to God—thanking him for his beautiful creation, asking for his help, and entrusting various needs and petitions to his heavenly care.

One morning this week, I was enchanted to discover a flock of 17 huge Canadian geese right in the middle of the field. I figured they must have been taking a rest while migrating south. These geese, as you probably know, can be protective, so I was a little apprehensive about Maggie tangling with them.

Well, she spotted them and like a shot, took off in their direction. I started talking to God about this new development.

As the dog got closer, the geese evidently saw her coming… but they didn’t move. During this pregnant pause, I dared a bit of humor with God: “Lord, do you know any good recipes for goose and dog stew?”

But in the nick of time, the flock starting honking and took to the air… and it looks like they were heading towards Indianapolis. All was safe again in McCaughey Field.

This morning adventure, I think, is a beautifully simple illustration of the prophet Isaiah’s counsel today: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near (Isa 55: 6). This truth is echoed in the Psalm: The Lord is near to all who call upon him (Ps 145: 18).

We human beings take the air for granted, because it envelops us everywhere. How easy it is, too, to take God for granted, because he is everywhere… but what a fantastic vow he makes: if you don’t just take me for granted but call out to me, I’ll take care of you! That’s got to be why Jesus tells us to pray always (Lk 18: 1).

For lots of people, prayer is something you use as a last resort. The doctor is out of treatment options, so you pray. You’re out of work and out of money and the wolf’s at the door, so you pray.

But this notion of prayer misses out on the magnificence of a relationship with God. Prayer, you see, is not supposed to be just a way to get what we want to happen. Prayer is not a remote control like we use with the TV.

Instead, prayer is meant to be a way to detach us from our own wants and attach us to God’s… and not just in an intellectual way, but in our real, lived-out experience. You might say that prayer moves us from mastery to mystery.

When we pray, especially in the ordinary times of life, we learn to let go of a lot of stuff and put it in God’s hands. Think about what that means. It is humble, because we recognize that God’s in charge… not us. The opposite, of course, is arrogance, which lets us think that we’re in control. I like to remember God’s words to Job: if you think you’re the boss, then go ahead and add another year to your life… or put some more hair on your head!

Praying reminds us that we are vulnerable. We’re part of life, not in control of life. And that, in turn, helps us to recognize grace: divine life that works in us and through us. To me, that’s about as mysterious as it gets.

One of the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us is free will. We get to choose to do things or not to do them. And that includes the choice of whether or not to pray.

I suppose it is possible to go all through life without ever speaking a word to God in prayer—and maybe even without ever heeding his voice in the depth of our heart or conscience. And that, frankly, is terribly sad.

What an unimaginable loss to miss out on the one who, without any ulterior motive, wants nothing more than to love you to bits! Listen to some of the adjectives used in today’s readings to describe how God wants to shower that love on you. He is: merciful, generous, forgiving, full of blessings, gracious, slow to anger, kind, good to all, compassionate and fair.
All yours for the asking—literally. Maybe that suggests that if you don’t ask, there’s a chance you won’t get these things.

But would God really do that? Why not? The workers in the gospel today thought that the landowner in Christ’s parable was unfair the way he treated the people who toiled all day as compared to the ones who just worked a couple of hours. The boss said, “Aren’t I free to do as I please? Are you jealous because I feel like being generous?”

In the same way, couldn’t God say, “Look, I said all you have to do is call out to me and I’ll give you all these things. If you can’t even be bothered to do that much, aren’t I within my rights to choose not to give you any special favors?” Something to think about.

The point is, we all should be calling out to God—praying—all the time. If you do it, it becomes almost automatic. Why not take a little time this very day to reflect on this… and begin by asking God to deepen within you the gift of prayer in your life.


Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 55: 6–9
Psalm 145
Philippians 1: 20–24, 27
Matthew 20: 1–16