September 17, 2025

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

This morning at Mass, the Gospel reading was from Luke 6. We are told that Jesus departed after teaching the people to the mountain to pray. The reading goes on to tell us that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God. I wonder what Jesus did or said while praying. Maybe he just hung out with God the Father. Today let’s talk about prayer in our lives.

I know that there are many ways to pray. I have learned many different ways myself, and for me there are certain times for prayer that are most important. Let me share with you one important time when I truly like to pray. That time is when I am preparing to celebrate Mass. I believe it is important for me to take some time for prayer before I put on the vestments for Mass. I like to kneel for a time near the sanctuary to silently focus my attention on the Lord’s love for all of us in the Blessed Eucharist. I pray that at this Mass I will be open to the Lord’s love and that those praying with me at Mass will be open and aware of Jesus’ love for them – the Jesus who is ever present with us at the altar.

I learned as a young priest that I should put myself into the hands of the Lord Jesus as I prepare for Mass so that Jesus will guide me and show me the proper way to make his presence real through the Eucharist for all those celebrating Mass with me. I offer my gratitude to God that as a priest I will be united with our Eucharistic Lord.

Let me take a moment to tell you how I learned to pray. As a young priest I was taught by a saint, Catherine Doherty, the foundress of the community of Madonna House. I was fortunate to spend time at Madonna House and get to know her well. Catherine had a simple, yet profound approach to prayer, deeply rooted in everyday spirituality. She realized that God likes simple prayers. All we have to say to God is, “My friend is sick. Please do something for him.” Catherine believed that prayer never stops. It is a beautiful thing to hold God’s hand and to pray always. She thought of prayer as a time of love – love expressed in speech, love expressed in silence.

Another saint who showed me how to pray was Thomas Merton, the Trappist Monk author. He had a profound influence on my life and my choice of a religious vocation. Merton showed me that prayer arises from the stillness and self-emptying of silence. Prayer deepens my experience of my world; it brings God’s light upon all that I am. In prayer, I can discover who I am and how I should live well with my Lord. Merton writes, “The sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayers, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all.

Merton taught me the importance of silence.

“When I am liberated by silence – my whole life becomes a prayer – let me seek, then, the gift of silence, when everything I touch is turned into prayer,” he wrote.

So, join me turning in love and finding peace in prayer to our God, looking on the cross of Jesus, spending time in silence, making room for the love of Jesus to fill our hearts.