08.01.25 Detak Jantung Doa: Mencari Tuhan di Tengah Keramaian

Saturday 4th week in ordinary time "Mk 6:30-34" The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. The activity was intense; people were following them everywhere. But the Apostles needed to rest and spend time alone with God. And that was prayer time. They must have enjoyed those moments with the Lord, telling Him countless stories: what happened when they entered that town, what a woman told them after hearing His teachings, questions they asked them, comments, misunderstandings... Jesus already knew all that, but He must have enjoyed those stories and the enthusiasm with which the Apostles explained their experiences. Jesus loved those get-togethers. And now He also thirsts for a dialogue with you. A woman asked a priest to visit her sick father. When the priest entered the sick man's room, he found a chair beside the bed and thought it was for him. But the sick man wasn’t expecting him. “I’m sorry,” said the priest, “When I saw the empty chair, I thought you were expecting me.” “Oh, the chair,” said the sick man. “Would you mind closing the door?” he asked from his bed. “I have never told this to anyone. I didn’t know how to pray. But one day a priest told me that prayer was simply a conversation with Jesus. He suggested that I place an empty chair in front of me and imagine that Jesus was sitting in it. Then, I should talk to Him as with a loving friend. So that was what I did. And it has helped me so much that I have been doing it ever since.” The priest urged the man to continue doing the same thing. Two days later, the daughter called the priest to tell him that her father had passed away. She explained how as she was about to leave the house, he called her and told her how much he loved her. An hour later, when she returned home, he had already passed away. “But there is something strange,” the woman explained. “It seems that before he died, he got the chair that was beside his bed and placed his head upon the armrest. That was how I found him. What do you think this could mean?” Mary, Master of Prayer, teach me to converse with God as friends do.