Finding the God the Father in Prayer: Whenever I hear Jesus talk about His Father, it always shuts me up. I always feel at a loss. I find it difficult to relate to His Father. Who is my Father? When will I see Him?
Therefore, when I read today’s Gospel, Phillip’s words resonated well with me. He asks, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). Thank you, Phillip. At least, I’m not the only one who feels this way. That’s the temptation in prayer. “Jesus, show me the answer and I will be satisfied.” But as He does in prayer, Jesus says, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Phillip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Ibid, 14:9). When I apply these words to prayer, I think how Jesus remains with me all this time. He always hears me and delights in me. But my own voice gets in the way and then I miss out on experiencing what the Holy Trinity wants to give me. By these words, Jesus wants to remind me to be attentive to my own heart. “You are searching far and wide, but I’m right here in the quiet of your heart. There you will find me.”
Prayer Keeps Us Close to Jesus – Even When He Feels Distant
This saying is hard and who can accept it. Prayer is difficult. And it’s difficult because I make it so. And that’s okay. I recognize that prayer is a process and like Phillip, it takes a lifetime to come to enter this reality. Phillip didn’t become a saint overnight. Over and over again, I hear these words echo in my heart: “Love the process. Love the process” It’s true. Instead of seeking for that fruit as if it’s the end of prayer, I have to remind myself that it’s in the here and now that I encounter Him. I encounter Him in the messiness of my own heart. I encounter Him in the trials and struggles of my prayer. When it’s hard to pray, or when I feel Jesus couldn’t be more distant from me, that’s where He is. He waits. He gazes. And, He loves.
Hope
Last week, one of the readings jumped out to me and I think it speaks to this hope that we can have despite our trials. St. Peter writes, “In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him, you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him” (1 Peter 1:6). In the first part of this quote, I was encouraged to know that trials are part of the game. My struggles can give me hope to know that it is in the very midst of them that I test my faith and earn the eternal reward. When we feel unsure like Phillip, we can rest assured that we are still meeting Jesus even when it may feel as if we have not yet “seen the Father.” And finally, we can trust that we love him even if we have not seen him. Our faith reminds us that so long as I remain faithful to prayer and desire to begin again, that Our Lord will do His part and already has.
The Need for Fortitude and Hope in Prayer
I repeat: prayer is difficult. The words of Phillip can be a comfort and a reminder that Jesus will help us to encounter Him and His Father. Prayer is not a me vs. Him. It’s an us. Jesus and I are doing it together. We are struggling together. We are falling together. And, we are loving together. And that is enough to give me hope.
“Purify our minds, we pray, O Lord, by these holy gifts we have received, so that, contemplating you in your Son . . . we may be worthy to possess eternal life” (Prayer after Communion).
Will you come to Jesus with me?
