Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the 7th week in ordinary time, February 21, 2023
DON'T MISTAKE TO PRAY
The theme for our meditation today is: Don't Mistake to Pray. There are many indications about our mistakes when we pray. From the point of view of the way, the mistake in prayer lies in ritual and attitude of prayer that is not in accordance with the proper way of prayer. For example, words of worshiping God are removed and replaced with words that demean or belittle God.
From the point of view of the material and tools used for praying, the mistake in prayer lies in objects or materials that do not follow the standards the religious people normally use. For example the use of objects such as stone or metal that symbolize God putting His power and provide help to humans through these objects. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is used to call certain evil spirits and not to call the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
From the point of view of intention of prayer, the mistake in prayer can be seen when people pray not to worship and glorify the true God. Their intention of prayer is to show up and look for material benefits for themselves. There is an intention to cause suffering and damage to others. God seems to be led in favor of the evil desires of the one who prays. The prayer expressed is motivated by pride and anger.
There are still many types of errors in prayer and cannot be mentioned here. We who pray to God must have a belief that before we spend our time, energy, mind, will and faith to pray, God actually knows already everything. So we must not pray without all its necessary conditions, which can makes us guilty as we pray. This advice is strongly expressed by the Letter to the Hebrews in the first reading of today's liturgy.
He reminds us that our prayers that are not answered by God because we make errors in prayer. Doing mistakes in prayer means one lacks of certain important virtues of prayer. One of the fundamental virtues in prayer is humility. God is great and almighty. It is impossible for us to pray to Him, and at the same time to make Him meaningless or powerless.
Humility requires that we present ourselves as servants and children, who have the same conditions and paths of faith as all other neighbors do, to receive blessings from the same God. God healed my wounds, just as He heals my neighbor's wounds, God blessed me, so do my brothers. God forgives me, so do my friends. So the advice for us is: Don't make mistake when you pray!
Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, keep us from our incorrect ways in prayer, so that we truly become good and true persons who pray. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...