James Hourigan

Died on May 23, 2014

36, Newtown Tce., Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny and formerly Ballinclough, Golden, Co. Tipperary & England. Died Friday 23rd May 2014. Funeral Mass in Church of the Assumption, Thomastown on Monday at 2pm followed by burial in St. Mary’s New Cemetery. May he rest in peace.

See full deaths list

Reflection

“After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, …” then, what? What do you think he was praying about? What does Pope Francis say this teaches us about prayer?
It is a great lesson for us: we are all immersed in the problems of life and in many complicated situations, called upon to face difficult moments and choices that get us down. But if we do not want to be crushed, we need to raise everything upwards. And this is exactly what prayer does. It is not an escape route; prayer is not a magic ritual or a repetition of memorized refrains. No. To pray is the way to let God act within us, to understand what he wants to communicate to us even in the most difficult situations, to pray to have the strength to go forward.
Many people feel they cannot go on, and they pray: “Lord, give me the strength to continue.” We too, very often, have done this. Prayer helps us because it unites us to God, it opens us up to the encounter with him. Yes, prayer is the key that opens our heart to the Lord. It is dialoguing with God, it is listening to his Word, it is worshipping, remaining in silence, entrusting what we are experiencing to him. And sometimes it is also crying out to him like Job, venting with him. … He is the father; he understands well. He never gets angry with us. And Jesus prays.
Pope Francis