Pray for Other People

07-24-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi, VC

Last Sunday, we heard in the fi rst reading how Abraham showed kindness to three mysterious travelers and was rewarded for his goodness. In the fi rst reading today, which is a continuation of that same story from Genesis, the destination and mission of the travelers was revealed to Abraham. They were Angels of the Lord, sent to destroy the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are told the sin of immorality of the people was so bad that God decided to destroy the cities by fire. The sin of sodomy is named after this town of Sodom. The Book of Genesis 19:1-29 gives accounts of the nature of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham, knowing that his cousin, Lot, and his family lived in Sodom, pleaded with the Angels of the Lord to spare the towns for the sake of the few righteous people in it. Here, we see Abraham as an advocate for both the good and bad people in the cities.

This scripture reading invites us to refl ect on the nature of immorality in our society today and our personal aetitude toward it. Do we see any resemblance in our society today compared to the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah? Or do we think our society is morally better than theirs? Naturally, people in every generation think they are better than previous generations. While it is true that our generation has greatly excelled in some areas such as science, technology, and economics, it is also obvious that a new form of immorality such as child molestation, pornography, abortion, and euthanasia have emerged in our generation. Other sins such as suicide, terrorism, and human trafficking and other forms of immoralites have increased in our time compared to previous generations.

Comparing the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to our present generation, someone once asked me, “Father, don’t you think that God will soon rain fire and brimstones on our society because of the high rate of immorality in the world today?” I answered her that I don’t think so because, like Abraham in the fi rst reading today, there are many of us who are praying for God’s mercy on the whole world. I also believe that there are more good people than bad in the world today. It is not enough for us to condemn the immorality in the world today, we need to do something about it, we need to pray and ask God for his mercy and to give us more time to repent and change our sinful behaviors.

In the Gospel today, Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. Like the disciples, we are invited today to reevaluate the nature of our prayer life, particularly, with regards to praying for other people. By calling God our Father in the “Lord’s Prayer,” we acknowledge that God is Father to all of us, both the good and the bad people. Like Abraham, we are called to pray not just for ourselves but to pray even for the bad people as well. And so we pray, “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, Have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Fr. James