Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Prayer is not merely us sharing our thoughts and concerns with God; prayer also allows for us to see God reveal his own heart to us. Take, for example, Abraham’s conversation with God about the destruction of Sodom. “Will you sweep the innocent with the guilty?” Abraham asks if God will destroy the city if there are 50 righteous people, 45 righteous people, 40 righteous people, and he keeps going until he asks if God will spare the city for 10 righteous people - and God affirms that he will not destroy the city for the sake of the 10 people. This conversation, this prayer, does not simply reveal Abraham’s concern for the innocent; it also reveals to Abraham God’s own compassion and care for the innocent. We would do well to imitate Abraham when we pray. We would do well to look at prayer as an opportunity for us to allow God to reveal his own heart to us.