for June 18
Thursday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

The first reading from the Book of Sirach is another version of yesterday’s story describing Elijah’s being taken up into the clouds of heaven. One point that both versions emphasize is how Elisha assumes Elijah’s prophetic office. (How many times do lectors get those two names mixed up!) The role of the prophet will never die out in Israel is one moral of the story. But the challenge remains for us, to discern the true prophet when so many false prophets come forward to claim the title.

The gospel is about prayer. Matthew and Luke both recount how Jesus taught his disciples how to pray by coaching them in the words that we call the Lord’s prayer. In Matthew’s gospel, the lesson is given to us as part of the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s version, Jesus gives his disciples this prayer in response to their request that he teach them how to pray.

How to pray? It’s an often-asked question. Sometimes we approach prayer as if it were a skill to be developed only through arduous practice, accomplished only by a few select masters of the craft. Jesus never speaks of prayer that way. In fact, he seems somewhat surprised by the question and suggests that how to pray should be obvious to everyone. And yet prayer does seem intimidating at times. At a parish meeting, whenever I ask someone to lead us in prayer, the person inevitably reacts with alarm, as if I asked for the recitation of a Shakespearean sonnet from memory.

But I know the feeling. Lately the hospital has been calling on behalf of patients’ families. I am told the patient is dying (sometime of COVID-19) and the family has requested a priest to “say a few prayers.” Since the patient is unconscious and in isolation, this means leading the prayers over the telephone with the family listening in. It’s an awkward situation—and somewhat intimidating.

I’ve learned to keep it simple. No time for a lot of words. I usually don’t know the family, nor do they know me. So the prayer should be to the point. I’ve learned to recite some biblical verses, like the psalms. Everyone has heard, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Or the words from Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” There’s a beautiful prayer of commendation with the theme, “Go forth, dear Christian.” I always end with a recitation of the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

For me, the Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer for the end of life because of the phrase, “at the hour of our death.” We need God’s grace throughout our lives, of course, but at the hour of our death is a special moment for prayer. But I’ve been struck that it’s the Our Father most of all that draws the family members to pray with me. I can hear them reciting the words—softly—in the background over the phone. In fact, their sincerity and anguish come through as they recite the words, so it’s a little distracting, almost to the point that I fear losing my place. What would they think, I wonder, of a priest who can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer from memory!

Some famous theologian once said that the Lord’s Prayer contains the whole of the gospel. So spend some time today reciting the prayer, or maybe just staying with a single phrase. Tomorrow you can tackle the rest of the prayer.
—Walter F. Modrys SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.