Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~ Prayer, fundamentally, is an act of faith in God and trust in His boundless love. The primary reason people abandon prayer prematurely is a foundational weakness in this belief; perhaps, as Jesus suggested, they simply do not believe strongly enough.

Another reason for this impatience stems from a contemporary, spoiled expectation of instant gratification. In our modern lives, when something is broken, we replace it; if we dislike a program, we push a button; if we are hungry, we microwave a meal. We are conditioned to expect immediate results. This mindset leads us to blame God for not answering our prayers quickly enough, demonstrating a severe lack of patience and the presumption that He should jump when we demand it. The problem is not with God’s timing, but with our own demanding habits.

When I consider my own prayer life, I rely on a prayer list, which I pray most days, holding dozens of names before God. While this practice is beneficial because it helps shift my focus off myself and onto the needs of others—from asking for a parking space to pleading for peace in Ukraine—I recognize the ever-present temptation toward selfish motive. Though I sometimes question God, wondering why He does what He does, this wrestling is often balanced by profound gratitude. I thank God constantly, and every day I dedicate quiet time to sit in His presence.

As long as we maintain persistence in prayer, refusing to let our modern impatience dictate our rhythm, our relationship with God and our spiritual depth will inevitably grow.