Unanswered Prayers

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. 

So, you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (John 16:20-23)

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”  Some of us – no many of us – would insist this Jesus promise is very seldom kept.  Many prayers are never answered.  

How can they be answered when that we ask for is unreasonable or impossible to grant.  Miracles can happen, but that’s not the norm.  A sick child dies.  A spouse falls victim to Alzheimer’s disease.  Thousands of people (millions?) around the world remain extremely poor and die untimely and painful deaths through war, disease, and starvation.  

Perhaps it’s more sensible to conclude God “cries” with us especially when our pain and agony are caused by inhumanity, immorality, and cruel demon-possessed leaders with crazed followers willing to forget or deny their own morality.  Such is the human species.  

During our times of stress and desperation let’s pray a new serenity prayer offered by Father James Martin.  

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the people I cannot change,

which is pretty much everyone,

since I’m clearly not you, God.

At least not the last time I checked.

And while you’re at it, God,

please give me the courage

to change what I need to change about myself,

which is frankly a lot, since, once again,

I’m not you, which means I’m not perfect.

It’s better for me to focus on changing myself

than to worry about changing other people,

who, as you’ll no doubt remember me saying,

I can’t change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up

whenever I think that I’m clearly smarter

than everyone else in the room,

that no one knows what they’re talking about except me,

or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,

grant me the wisdom

to remember that I’m

not you.

Amen.

Deacon David Pierce