I will probably stay in this picnic area for awhile, because that is just how important prayer is to me. I strongly encourage for you to read 1 Maccabees 11:67-74. There describe, many biblical acts of courage. Here is Jonathan, in the mist of a battle, 3000 men to his 3, including himself. The small camp of men after seeing that they were ambush, fled the scene, knowing that they were out number and only victory here was going to be their deaths. When a scary scene is about to happen in a horror flix, I put my hands over my eyes and scream, before the scene takes place. However, what does my man Jonathan in Maccabees do? Jonathan tore his clothes, threw earth on his head, and prayed (1Maccabees 11:71). Now lets be honest, how many of us would be with the soldiers, men of valiant running for our lives? don't lie, me and everybody else. But not Jonathan, let me repeat, tore his clothes, threw earth on his head and prayed. Then he went back to the combat and so overwhelmed the enemy that they took to flight. (1Maccabees 11:72). Here we come, in verses 73-74: Those of his men who were running "away" saw it and returned to him; and with him they pursued the enemy as far as their camp in Kadesh, where they pitched their own camp. Three thousand of the foreign troops fell on that day. Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem. I guess we can say cowardliness does not make us strong, but prayers do.
If Jonathan in the mist of war can put it on pause, rip his clothes and throw some dirt on his head and pray to God. My sister and brothers, those of you in "Mass", liturgy of the hours, anybody in or outside the church, that is praying and petitioning to God, You need to have all the time in the world to pray to God in a tempo without the prayer itself falling off the staff. Amen-
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