26 Oct 2011, Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 8:26-30

Brothers and sisters:
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.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. 
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 13:4-5, 6

R. (6a) My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.
Look, answer me, O LORD, my God!
Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death
lest my enemy say, "I have overcome him;
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
Let my heart rejoice in your salvation;
let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
"Lord, open the door for us."
He will say to you in reply,
"I do not know where you are from."
And you will say,
"We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets."
Then he will say to you,
"I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!"
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."


Meditation: Romans 8:26-30

“The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.” (Romans 8:26)

If, as St. Paul wrote, “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Romans 8:26), how can we ever hope to reach God’s ear? Paul himself gives the answer: The Spirit intercedes for us “with inexpressible groanings … according to God’s will” (8:26,27). It is the Spirit—the life and power of God active within human hearts—who can lead us and teach us to pray.

It is no coincidence that Paul’s teaching on prayer comes in the middle of a letter devoted to the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As in all other things, Jesus is our model for prayer, and his cross is the source of our prayer. Just as Jesus put aside his own will, even his own life, and relied fully on his Father’s will, the same applies to us. Prayer that touches the Father’s heart is prayer that puts aside our own ideas and presuppositions, so that we can learn to pray in a new and more powerful way.

Do you know that the Spirit of God is within you? Can you trust that many of your desires to love God, pray for people’s healing and conversion, and offer forgiveness come from God himself through the Spirit inside you? When Jesus left the world, he sent his Holy Spirit to speak to us and prompt us on a level that far surpasses human words.

Even when we feel out of touch with the Holy Spirit, that doesn’t mean he has left us. It only means that we need to reach out to him. Look for ways that he may be prompting you to pray, to worship, and to intercede beyond what you might normally do on your own. Quiet your mind in prayer and let it rest on a passage from Scripture. Ask the Spirit to give you a deeper love for God or a knowledge of his love that goes beyond the power of words to express. Place your trust in the Holy Spirit. He has far more glorious plans for you than you ever could imagine.

“Holy Spirit, teach me to pray today. Enkindle in my heart a desire that the Father’s will be done in my life and in the life of your church.”



.