Dear Parish Family,

I love ordering from Amazon, and the parish staff knows it! As you can see from the image here, the staff live in dread that one day an Amazon freight container in my name will show up at our doorstep (parish brewhouse, anyone?). Now as much as I'd love to order something of that scale, I know a freight container would never fit through our doors! What would Jesus say is the solution to this dilemma? Stop purchasing stuff? Scale down my orders? Of course not! :) Obviously, the solution is to build bigger doors!
 
In today's Gospel, Jesus shows how we must be like the persistent widow in making our requests to God. Unlike the unjust judge of the parable, we know God actually wants to give us the good for which we ask. While it looks like God resists answering our prayers, the parable shines light on the effect of persistence in our life of prayer: it builds bigger doors in our hearts!
 
Rather than thinking that God is uncaring by delaying an answer to our prayers, we should believe that the 'resistance' we experience is a type of spiritual strength training. Disciplined athletes will undergo resistance training to strengthen their muscles. As they persist in their efforts over time, they become stronger and able to bear greater weight. In the spiritual life, our persistence in prayer expands the capacity of our hearts to receive the good for which we ask. Persistence builds bigger doors in our hearts so we can receive the magnitude of the gift God wants to give!
 
Like the persistent widow, we should not give in to the temptations to dial down our expectations or stop asking altogether when we experience resistance in prayer. The goal of Christian prayer is never to restrict our desires. On the contrary, we must continually share the great desires of our hearts to God in prayer. There's no prayer request that is too small or large to bring before God. For those larger requests, it is often our own hearts that need to expand first before God can grant what we ask.
 
Moreover, when we perceive resistance, it causes us to reflect on whether or not we really want or need the thing for which we ask. Believe it or not, I put things in my Amazon shopping cart then wait a day before placing the order. Most often, I find at least one item that would be nice to have but not something truly necessary. God gives us a chance to truly reflect on what we want and what we need. Immediate gratification of our desires is not helpful in most areas of our life, especially not in the spiritual life.
 
We have great desires in our hearts. This is good! Those desires must be expressed persistently in prayer so that they may be sharpened, and so that our hearts may be strengthened to receive the magnitude of the fulfillment for which we are asking from God.
 
Alliance for International Monasticism (AIM) Support
I want to thank Sr. Chris Kosin from AIM for speaking at our Masses last weekend. If you would like to make a donation to support the missions, you can drop off in the office, drop box, or regular collection a check or cash in an envelope marked or memo’d: AIM or Mission. We will make sure the donation gets to AIM. Thank you for your prayers and support!
 
“Faithfully United” Program
Thank you to all parishioners who have completed and submitted your Commitment Card.  For those parishioners who have not yet had the opportunity to submit their card, a final letter will be mailed to you with a personalized Commitment Card.  We invite all faithful parishioners to complete a card as our parish goal is 100% participation!  You may return your card by:

• mailing it to the church using the pre-addressed envelope included with the letter. 
• or bringing it to Mass next Sunday. 
• or you may visit our parish website at stpatrickthompson.org and complete an electronic Commitment Card.  

I am on retreat after this weekend through next weekend. Please keep me in prayer that I may share the great desires of my heart with the Lord, and that He may prepare my heart for the fulfillment of those desires.
 
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow