Persistence

There are times when we tend to pull back from making a prayer of the heart. We wonder whether we are talking to ourselves or whether God is truly listening. The story of the Canaanite women assures us that we are called to come before God with wit and humour. The very desire to be in God's presence allows us to be present to what is needed for this day. Our prayer also tends to purify our intention and what we truly seek. This allows us to be persistent in seeking to bring good on behalf of another. This is at the heart of our intercession. It allows us to seek a threefold good. To bring another person before God, to acknowledge that what possesses or obsesses us will not have the final word and that our prayer of mercy touches the heart of God. We are called to recognise that as we gather as a community that it is God who draws us together. For the good of ourselves, for the good of others and the good of the world. We touch the creative heart of God who is ever present and ever new.