Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

11-12-2023Pastor's CornerVery Rev. Robert J. Deehan, VF

How’s your pace of life? I often find myself saying, “Busy.” That seems to be the experience around Duxbury and beyond. Talking to parents of young families I will often hear references to sports: soccer, lacrosse and football among others. One parent shared that sports seems to rule their life. I marvel at the great distances some families are traveling to get to their child’s games. And, when there’s more than one family member involved in sports, the busyness is multiplied! Our lives can get so hectic that it can sometimes get the best of us. One mother shared with me that while driving her daughter and friend to a game, she “lost it,” complaining of all that she had to do - only to be reminded at a gas pump display shortly after her rant that the “word of the day” was prayer. This made her stop and think. She felt God was saying something to her in that experience.

What time do you give yourself to put your life in perspective? Daily prayer is an opportunity to bring our life’s busyness before God and to gain insight about what’s really important. It’s a time we can prioritize and, perhaps, to be led to make adjustments in our schedule. Talking with God about our day, the people, the activities, the worries and concerns, the decisions, the hopes and dreams, the joys and fears – the stuff of our life is just the first part of prayer. The second, and actually the more important, is the “listening” part. It’s giving God time to speak in the depths of our heart about what we’ve shared with him in our prayer. It requires making this time of prayer a priority – 10, 15, or 20 minutes each day, just like an exercise regimen can be built into our routine. It also requires becoming comfortable with being alone and silent before God. Maybe it’s in a quiet corner of your home before everyone gets up in the morning, in the chapel here at Holy Family or taking a walk by yourself. It can even be in the car alone while driving. Do you make such time for God in prayer on a daily basis to hear what the Lord has to say about your life, its pace and its priorities? It will make a big difference if you do, and it just may save you from “losing it!”

God bless you!

Fr. Bob