Prayer makes life work
To the Editor:
I saw a comic book sketch of a boy kneeling by his bedside saying his evening prayers as his dad walked by the open door of the bedroom. The boy looked up and said, “Hi Dad, just saying my prayers. Do you need anything while I’m here?” His dad looked like he had had a long day.
At first, it made me laugh but as I pondered it, I realized that our design is for complete dependency on God and intimacy with him. We are not meant to figure out life on our own. Prayer is the only way to make life work.
Often, at best, people try to shoehorn God in on Sunday morning and a quick prayer as they run out of the house. We need a lot more than that to survive, let alone thrive. Jesus spent whole nights in prayer. To commune with the Father, the only one who truly knew him — and the only one who knows and understands us.
Prayer is the oxygen for the soul; without it, we will shrivel up and die. The human heart is the meeting place for God and us. He is already there (like in a Zoom breakout room), waiting for us to enter and to share our troubles with him. Once we realize the importance of prayer, we will see the difference it makes. Mother Teresa commented once that if she had a lot to accomplish she would pray for an hour first and if she knew she had a great deal to do that day then she would pray for two hours. That is how it works, the economics of the Kingdom of God. In doing so, we also receive peace in our hearts instead of agitation. Try it and see!
Stephen Clark
Manila, Philippines
Women’s sports
To the Editor:
How exciting was it to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball team this season?! Watching the final tournament broadcasts seemed historic and groundbreaking. Women players, women coaches, women refs, women announcers, women’s commercials on ESPN. And, Caitlin Clark will continue to advance women’s sports by her presence in the WNBA. It’s a new era!
But wait, women still can’t be Catholic priests or deacons. How embarrassing! All based on outdated theology and traditions. It’s time for a change!
Keith Soko, Ph.D.
Bettendorf
