Does prayer ever seem dry or just not meet expectations? Br. Sullivan McCormick, SJ, reflects on the calming of the storm at sea and how Jesus defies expectations. Based on the readings for Sunday, June 20, 2021.
How do we respond when prayer doesn’t meet our expectations?
Hi, I’m Br. Sullivan McCormick, and this is my One-Minute Reflection. Have you ever experienced times when prayer was dry, uneventful, or unfulfilling? Today’s Gospel provides a powerful analogy and guidance for our prayer life. In prayer we might feel that we are “perishing” in our spiritual life because of dry prayer or unanswered prayer. We might feel discouraged because Christ is not resolving our storms in the way we want them to be resolved.
However, what happens when we look at prayer through the lens of faith, that faith Jesus calls his disciples to after calming the storm? Faith tells me that Christ is present, healing and transforming me, even though prayer might seem dry or unanswered. Just as Jesus lies in the stern of the boat, he is there waiting inside us every time we pray. Faith tells us that Jesus is with us even if he doesn’t meet our expectations.