GLEANINGS from the Daily Office – Amen is Enough

GLEANINGS (from the Daily Office) – Amen is Enough – Year One, Proper 20, Thursday, September 25, 2015, Matthew 6:7-15

“For your father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Kristen and I were in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, when we were unexpectedly invited to lunch. It was in a palapa hut near a pool. If you didn’t look to the horizon you would have thought that you were in a seaside paradise. But the tropical hut was actually within the grounds of the Cathedral close.

As entered we realized it was gathering of the Archbishop and bishops of Rwanda along with the archbishops and bishops of surrounding countries like the Congo and Burundi. What an honor to break bread with these spiritual giants.

To Kristen’s surprise, the Archbishop of Rwanda, Immanuel Kolini, asked her to bless the meal. She demurred. But the Archbishop insisted. She relented and prayed a beautiful prayer. She tells everyone that she knew I was relieved that she didn’t start singing Johnny Appleseed.

Praying in public can be a challenge. Even in private some of us struggle with where to begin. Find comfort in God knowing our needs before we ask. We need not break any ice. We do not have to remember some protocol. He is concerned before we realize we want Him to be. At times we find ourselves pondering our needs, our blessings or the needs of others. It is fully to sufficient to just add amen. He was tracking with us all along.

–Frodo: “I wish none of this had happened.” Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”–