Opening Prayer Series: Twentieth Sunday of Year A

The Opening Prayer for the twentieth Sunday of Year A reads as follows:

Let us pray

(that the love of God may raise us beyond what we see 

to the unseen glory of His kingdom)

God our Father,

may we love You in all things and above all things 

and reach the joy You have prepared for us 

beyond all our imagining.

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged.

1. What do I see in my life that shows the love of God?
2. What might I see as God's anticipatory love for this coming week?
3. Am I ready for the unseen glory of His Kingdom?
4. What do I need to do or be on an ongoing basis to be ready for God's kingdom?
5. Is God first in my life- are there any other things that get top priority rather than God?
6. What might Heaven be like? What does scripture tell us about the afterlife?

On a personal note, I have to say that being ready for God's Kingdom is clearly in my mind and heart since my mum died 13 days ago. Although elderly and with various health concerns, she was fine one minute, but a quick heart attack changed everything instantly. She was in hospital less than 24 hours before God (hopefully) called her to His unseen glory of His Kingdom.

Today's Gospel encourages us to persevere and never give up.  The woman was in need, not for herself as such, but for her daughter who was 'tormented by a devil'. In today's language, one might interpret that as some kind of mental illness. Jesus does not answer her first request, which may seem strange.  However, as the woman does not give up, Jesus finally grants her request.  Today's gospel is about helping out faith to grow in times of trial and the necessity of the grace of perseverance.

We may wish to think of a trial that we have experienced in our lives.  What was our reaction?  Did we pray more during that time or did we give up hope that God would answer our need?  Has our way of dealing with trials and difficulties changed over the years, or do we adopt the same approach when they come our way?  It is not that God is deaf or uncaring. He knows what we need most. 


During this week, let us thank God for our lives and many blessings He has provided for us.  When we are in difficulty, let us remember that God does not ignore us, but is ready to assist as we intercede for our need and persevere in asking.