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00:00Music
00:30Well brothers, let's continue our pastoral reflection by trying to see how we can apply the perspective of the Colossians regarding this problem they were experiencing, and how we can also apply it to our own lives.
00:48And today I would like to discuss with you the topic of prayer, which is one of the fundamental elements in our relationship with the Lord. To do this, I would like to look with you at the text from Colossians chapter 4, verses 2 through 4.
01:06We read the following: “Be constant in prayer, always alert and thankful. Pray also for us, that the Lord may open doors for us to preach the message and to proclaim the secret plan of Christ, for that is why I am in prison.”
01:26Pray that I may make it known as clearly as I ought to do.
01:32Well, clearly a prayer issue, which is one of the biggest problems in all communities.
01:41Saint Paul clearly senses this in the community of Colossae and knows that a large part of the problems they are experiencing are because they have abandoned prayer, because prayer is not incessant.
01:52It is said, remain constant in prayer, constant in prayer.
01:58People start off very well with their topics, their conversion, and the retreat and all that, but prayer never really takes hold.
02:11And if the prayer doesn't take hold, everything else will fall apart.
02:15We easily fall prey to false doctrines, false teachers, and all of the above.
02:23So this topic is very important, and well, let's see what else we have, what else is being said about this topic.
02:32The prayer which, then, if you follow me in different posts and different videos,
02:37You'll realize that it's one of the most important topics, something I continually refer to.
02:44Because I am convinced that without prayer it is practically impossible to be a good Christian.
02:49It is not possible to be a good Christian without prayer.
02:53What is the general problem with the sentence?
02:56It's very simple, I don't have time.
02:58We live in such a complex world, a world full of activity,
03:04where one activity follows another, and another, and another, and another,
03:08and we wake up running and we end up running.
03:14I don't have time, Father, there is no time for prayer.
03:17And well, indeed, you're right, there's no time for prayer.
03:20I have to create the time for prayer.
03:25And for that I have to steal time from my own time.
03:29I can't steal it from the time of my wife, my children, my parents, my work.
03:34I have to steal it from either my fun or my rest.
03:39That's all.
03:41If you look closely, Mark 1:35 tells us,
03:45In the early hours of the morning, when it was still dark,
03:48Jesus got up and left the city to go and pray to a solitary place.
03:54So Jesus knows that he doesn't have time for prayer either.
03:59Once they start looking for him,
04:03as it will appear in a moment, it will appear around here,
04:06Pedro, right?
04:07Everyone is looking for you.
04:08And yes, well, that's how it is.
04:11In other words, I see it in my pastoral life, one thing after another after another.
04:14And you get up the same way.
04:16There are the children, or the wife, or the parents.
04:18School, work, going out, the hustle and bustle of traffic, etc.
04:23We arrived at the house.
04:25We already have other pending matters.
04:28And at what time?
04:31Jesus would get up very early in the morning, while it was still night.
04:39We need to steal time from our sleep, from our rest,
04:43to our leisure activities,
04:47so as not to sacrifice the people who live with us.
04:50Because ultimately, that's not our time.
04:52It's time we share with another person.
04:55So it's also part of someone else's time.
04:59We have to steal from the one who is exclusively our time.
05:02And so Jesus gets up and goes to a solitary place.
05:08Because another thing we need for prayer is to be silent.
05:12It's about being alone.
05:14Silence is the habitat of prayer.
05:18That is why Saint Paul says,
05:19Pray incessantly, continually.
05:24It is something that is part of the Christian life.
05:28It cannot be suspended.
05:32We cannot stop praying.
05:35Because if we stop praying, worldliness quickly returns to our lives.
05:41We can't, we can't leave her.
05:43So, it's important to see how Jesus would get up early in the morning and start praying.
05:51Another text we could look at is Luke, in chapter 5.
05:57Says,
05:58But Jesus would withdraw to pray in places where no one was.
06:03Lonely places.
06:06Sometimes a lonely place can be the bathroom in our house.
06:10I had a very good friend, a great brother,
06:12who was praying there.
06:14He says, "In my house, you can only pray in the bathroom."
06:16So I go and lock myself in.
06:18And that's where I say my prayer.
06:22You can search near your home, which is the most advisable thing to do.
06:26some temple, some chapel.
06:29The Blessed Sacrament does not have to be exposed.
06:31Perhaps the Blessed Sacrament won't even be there.
06:34Prayer is done deep in the heart.
06:36How wonderful it is if Jesus is present in the Eucharist.
06:40But we can do it in our own homes,
06:43in the living room of our house.
06:45I know many people who get up early,
06:49Go downstairs to your living room, put up a picture there,
06:53a candle rises,
06:54Anyway, he creates a bit of an atmosphere and then he starts to pray.
06:59Pray incessantly, get up early,
07:03seek out solitary places,
07:05where God can enter into communion and direct contact with us.
07:11Jesus gives us another very important instruction.
07:14Luke 6:12
07:15In those days Jesus went up onto a mountain to pray.
07:19and spent the whole night praying to God.
07:22In other words, incessant prayer, all night long.
07:26We will also see him in Gethsemane, praying incessantly.
07:29These are particularly important moments, aren't they?
07:34Gethsemane preparing for martyrdom.
07:37And in this text, if we continue reading it,
07:40in this chapter 10,
07:42We would see the choice of the disciples, of the apostles.
07:47So these are very important moments,
07:49where we need a very special light
07:51And that's why we need to lengthen our prayer.
07:55Prayer is the center, it is the meeting point with God.
08:00Without Him, our whole life remains worldly.
08:04and we easily returned.
08:07People go to retreats and there seems to be a conversion.
08:10People leave feeling very convinced and eager
08:13that their life may be filled with God,
08:16but he doesn't dedicate time to prayer.
08:19He does not pray incessantly,
08:22something that probably happened in Colossae as well.
08:25Because that is an inner disposition.
08:29Man seeks leisure,
08:31have a good time, get enough sleep.
08:34I'm going to watch some television for a while.
08:37to play on the computer for a while, etc.
08:40Well, that's not the idea.
08:44The idea is to have a long time,
08:48deep and silent communion with God our Lord.
08:52So we have this instruction that our Lord gives us
08:58And that is the most important element to avoid falling into temptation.
09:03On the night of the arrest,
09:07in chapter 26,
09:09Jesus talks about this.
09:11Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
09:15Matthew 26:41 makes this reference to us
09:18on the subject of prayer
09:20as one of the fundamental elements,
09:25I would say indispensable,
09:27to avoid falling into temptation.
09:28It says because, well, the Spirit is always ready.
09:33We believe,
09:34You're coming out of retirement and you want to give it your all
09:36and you started studying the Bible.
09:39But how much time do you dedicate to prayer?
09:41If there is no prayer,
09:44you will be able to study the entire Bible
09:46and the New and Old Testaments
09:47and to be a scholar,
09:49But you will not be a Christian.
09:51To be a Christian, one needs to pray.
09:54Because otherwise,
09:55We can easily begin to use Scripture now
09:57to justify our mistakes,
10:00to justify our sins.
10:03The Christian does not justify.
10:06The Christian lives according to the experience of God
10:09which is embodied in Scripture.
10:13But for that he needs,
10:14as a catalyst,
10:16We need prayer,
10:17which is what helps us,
10:18the one that drives us.
10:20It has a supernatural effect,
10:22mysterious,
10:22I can't even explain it,
10:24But that's how it works.
10:26That is why Saint Paul says,
10:27unceasingly,
10:29continuously,
10:30the prayer that is being repeated,
10:32which is constantly developing
10:34in our lives and in our hearts.
10:36And this was it,
10:39It was from the beginning,
10:41the testimony of the first Christian community.
10:45If we refer to the beginning
10:47of the Christian community,
10:49we would have to refer it
10:50to this small group of men and women
10:53that in the company of Mary
10:55They devoted themselves to prayer.
10:58Says,
10:58They all always met up
11:00to pray with some women,
11:02with Maria,
11:04the mother of Jesus,
11:05and with his brothers.
11:07So,
11:08There was a group
11:09who was praying.
11:12Jesus had told them,
11:13Pray for the coming of the Spirit.
11:15So,
11:16prayer is something
11:17that we do personally,
11:19but we also do it as a community.
11:22Blessed be God,
11:23that now,
11:23well,
11:24primarily through
11:25of the communities
11:26of the charismatic renewal,
11:28and other groups
11:30that starting from there
11:32have been forming
11:33like Focolare
11:34and some others.
11:36It has been developed,
11:37Thanks to Father Ignacio Larrañaga,
11:40a whole school of prayer,
11:41prayer and life workshops,
11:43that are truly
11:45very important
11:46today in our church.
11:48What has He taught us about prayer?
11:51You'll realize
11:52that no one has taught us,
11:53They have taught us prayers.
11:56We have learned,
11:57in any case,
11:57to pray.
11:58We prayed the Lord's Prayer,
11:59Maria,
12:00Hail Mary,
12:00etc,
12:01but,
12:01And to pray?
12:03We don't know
12:03nor what prayer really is.
12:05And Paul says,
12:06pray without ceasing.
12:08That's why today
12:08We have so many false doctrines
12:10who interfere in our lives,
12:12who get involved
12:12to the church,
12:14who get involved
12:14everywhere,
12:16because people don't pray,
12:18He has no light in his heart,
12:19And then it's very difficult.
12:21discern
12:22What's coming next?
12:23of the spirit,
12:24what comes from meat,
12:25what comes from others
12:26false doctrines.
12:28So,
12:28it is fundamental
12:30that we have
12:31a life
12:32of prayer,
12:33both staff
12:35as in the community,
12:37search in our parishes
12:38prayer groups,
12:40where we can
12:41pray together with them,
12:42where we learn
12:43and let's improve
12:44our relationship
12:45with God
12:46through prayers.
12:48Let's buy books,
12:50a great deal
12:51of books
12:52that tell us
12:53on this topic.
12:55There is a book
12:56which is very interesting,
12:58above all
12:58for beginners,
12:59is called
12:59The cloud of ignorance,
13:02which is the process
13:02to enter
13:03in life
13:04of contemplation.
13:06But read
13:07to the classics,
13:08to Saint Teresa,
13:09For example,
13:10I mean,
13:11interest us
13:11on this topic
13:12of the prayer
13:13and search
13:15obviously
13:16well grow
13:17in it.
13:18So,
13:18It's a topic
13:19fundamental
13:20the one we
13:21Let's continue
13:22preparing,
13:23Let's continue developing
13:24in us
13:25the topic
13:25of the prayer.
13:27I wish you could see
13:28Romans 12,
13:29I was saying,
13:30live happily
13:31through hope
13:32that they have,
13:33support with value
13:34the sufferings
13:35And listen,
13:36never stop
13:37of praying.
13:38This is the instruction
13:39from Paul,
13:40don't leave
13:41never
13:42of praying.
13:44You leave
13:44of praying,
13:46life
13:46quickly
13:47begin
13:48to transform
13:50already
13:50spoil
13:51in our lives.
13:53And I conclude
13:54this reflection
13:55and with that
13:55We're closed
13:56our chapter,
13:57We're closed
13:57this instruction
13:59about the Colossians
14:00with a text
14:01from Paul
14:02to the Thessalonians,
14:04Chapter 5,
14:05the first letter
14:05Thessalonian,
14:06in chapter 5,
14:08It says in verse 17,
14:11Pray at all times,
14:15pray at all times.
14:17Every moment
14:17is favorable
14:18to pray.
14:20If you look closely,
14:20there is a great
14:21instruction
14:22inside
14:23both of
14:24the doctrine
14:24Paulina
14:25as of the same
14:27Jesus,
14:28because it is
14:28to the base
14:29of all
14:30our
14:31transformation
14:32in Christ.
14:33So, well,
14:34Well, leaving you
14:35with these ideas
14:36of the transformation,
14:38We're closed
14:39Here's our chapter,
14:40There would be many
14:41more topics,
14:42TRUE?
14:43Each pericope
14:44It's a topic
14:44about which
14:45could we
14:46develop
14:46very interesting questions
14:48for our life,
14:49But okay,
14:50Let's leave it at that.
14:51our work,
14:53I'll wait for you then.
14:53in our next class
14:54here in our
14:55virtual classroom
14:56active education
14:57to continue
14:58our course
14:58about writings
15:00Paulines.
15:01Until then,
15:02thank you.