Keep praying; don’t give up

AN old woman carrying her baby knelt in front of the image of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo Church. She tarried at length importuning the Lord for help, saying, “Lord, My child needs milk very badly. Lord, can you spare me P100!”

* * * Meanwhile, the queue behind her lengthened causing the devotees to get exasperated.

A police officer happened to pass by. The devotees approached him to take her away, giving him P50 to hand it to the old lady. As the officer helped her to leave, the lady said, “Lord, thank you for giving me this 150. But next time please don’t give it through a policeman. Tignan ninyo, kinupit ang kalahati” (Look, he pocketed the other half). * * * That’s just a joke but we see here that the persevering prayer of that old woman was rewarded. And that’s what the Lord teaches us when we pray.

* * * Jesus says, “If a corrupt and godless judge gives in to the widow who keeps pestering him to render a just decision for her, how much more a good and loving God!” (Note that there were corrupt judges, too, during Christ’s time).

“Will not God secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” (Luke 18,7).

* * * A lawyer-friend of mine once related to me that their father inherited the sickly constitution of their grandpa. His doctors warned him that when he would reached 50, the children had better prepare themselves for his early demise. “Father and mother ran for assistance to the Holy Trinity and the Holy Family and attended an extra Mass and the Perpetual Help novena on Wednesdays. I know this because I accompanied them,” he said.

“Tatay (father) died at the age of 82 and outliving most of his doctors except the last doctor who was very young then!”

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Some people complain that they always pray, but don’t get what they’re asking for.

One reason we don’t get what we ask for could be because we don’t work enough to attain it. We forget the other side of prayer: OUR SIDE.

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For instance, we pray for peace, say, in the family but there is domestic unrest because of the philandering of a spouse or disrespect of children for their parents.

Or, we pray for good health, but we enjoy too much drinking and gorging food rich in cholesterol (or as a politician once said, “… rich in collaterals”!).

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Let us remember that God answers prayer not in the way we want but in the way He wants. We give him the freedom to answer “yes” or “no” or “wait.”

As the saying goes: “Man proposes; God disposes.”

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“If you, evil as you are, can be generous with your fellowmen,” Christ concludes, “how much more your heavenly Father.”

So…keep praying. Don’t give up.

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SUPPORT SEMINARIANS. If you share your blessings with the needy, the Lord will bless you all the more.

We cannot have priests, bishops and popes if we don’t have seminarians. So let’s support seminarians through our Adopt-A-Seminarian scholarship program. * * * GOD BLESS — the latest donors: CHARITO GAVIOLA, RENATO VIRAY, MARIE ROSE NAVARRO.

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Others who want to help may e-mail me at: belsvd@gmail.com.