The Gospels often show Jesus at prayer. In today’s passage, Mark tells how, after being busy feeding the five thousand, Jesus retreated onto the mountain to pray. Even though Jesus went off by Himself, His prayer did not separate Him from people. Actually, it made Him more responsive to the needs of others and the challenges they endured. As He was praying, Jesus saw that His disciples, who were in a boat at sea, were struggling against the wind and worn out by rowing. So, He left his prayer and went to His struggling disciples, and spoke words of great reassurance to them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”
Mark shows us that while Jesus was in communion with God the Father, He also stayed in communion with people in need. That is true of our own awareness too. In prayer, we open ourselves to the LORD’S presence; we become attuned to the LORD who is present to us, but as we do so, we will often find ourselves thinking of others, feeling with and for others. This is not surprising. The LORD, whom we approach in prayer, is full of love for others; as we draw near to Him in prayer, we will be caught up into His concern for others. Indeed, much of our prayer tends to be intercessory prayer — prayer for others. Genuine prayer will deepen not only our communion with the LORD, but our communion with others as well, especially with those who, like the disciples in today’s Gospel passage, are struggling with and battling the storms of life. +
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