The Value of Prayer - Fr. Micah - August 14, 2022

Today, on the 9th Sunday of Matthew, the Gospel comes to us from Matthew 14:22-34. Jesus comes to His disciples, who are unsure who He is, walking on water. Peter steps out of the boat in faith and walks toward Jesus but is distracted and begins to sink. He cries out, Lord, save me! Father Micah shares that this Gospel gives us a map to prayer. We must know that we pray to Christ because He first comes to us. He is unknown to us yet knows our hearts. And we must entrust ourselves to Christ, responding to His love, on our path to prayer. A necessary part of prayer is to recognize we are sinking, like Peter, but in our sins, allowing us to cry out, Lord, save me. Father Micah encourages us to make time for prayer recognizing life is a gift of time to pray. We must not despair in our prayer life and think God does not hear. Prayers should not be forced or sentimentalized and should be offered everywhere and without ceasing.