Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Yesus pergi ke gunung untuk berdoa, dan semalam-malaman Ia berdoa kepada Allah. Ketika hari siang, Ia memanggil murid-murid-Nya kepada-Nya, lalu memilih dari antara mereka dua belas orang, yang juga disebut-Nya rasul. Lukas 6:12-13
Pagi itu, setelah semalam-malaman berdoa, Yesus mengambil beberapa keputusan yang sangat penting. Ia memilih dua belas uskup-Nya yang pertama, yakni Kedua Belas Rasul. Menarik untuk diperhatikan bahwa Ia mengambil keputusan ini hanya setelah melewatkan malam dalam doa.
In a sense, Jesus did not “have” to pray. But He did. He prayed because this is who He is. He is the Son of the Father and His most important relationship was the one with the Father in Heaven. Thus, His prayer was one that was natural to His divine life and essence. Spending the night in prayer, separated from everything but His Father, was a normal expression of His perfect love and communion with the Father.
Namun, waktu yang Ia luangkan dalam doa juga merupakan cara yang wajar bagi-Nya untuk mempersiapkan diri menghadapi keputusan-keputusan yang akan Ia ambil keesokan harinya. Sekali lagi, bukan berarti Ia perlu berdoa agar dapat membuat pilihan yang tepat. Sebaliknya, doa-Nya semata-mata merupakan bagian dari proses ilahi dalam membuat pilihan yang tepat. Doa merupakan cara untuk setiap hari menyerahkan kodrat manusiawi-Nya secara sempurna kepada kehendak Bapa, agar Ia terus menjalani kehendak Bapa di dunia ini hari demi hari.
Jesus also sets a wonderful precedence for us. We, unlike our Lord, need to pray in order to know and fulfill the will of the Father. We do not walk in perfect harmony with God each and every day and each moment of the day. Thus, while Christ’s prayer was an earthly expression of Him living who He already was, our prayer is a surrender to whom we are called to become. We must become Christ, striving to live in perfect communion with Him and in accord with the perfect will of the Father.
Reflect, today, upon the need you have to spend time in prayer so as to enter more deeply in union with our Lord. Reflect, especially, upon the importance of doing so prior to making the various decisions you need to make in life. Pray before you act and allow our Lord to be the one who enters into your life and directs you in accord with His holy will.
Lord, give me a heart that longs to be with You in prayer, each and every day. Help me to daily surrender my entire life to You without reserve. As I surrender my life, I thank You for entering in and directing all my actions. My life is Yours, dear Lord, my life is Yours. Jesus, I trust in You.
