In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Why was Jesus praying at 3:00 o’clock in the morning? It is an unusual question but a question worth asking. Prayer is like air to the life of every Christian and this applied to Christ’s life as well. So much so that He even scheduled “prayer time” into His daily routine as often as possible. He did that because He knew a growing number of people wanted something from Him.
Therefore, as His fame spread throughout the land, His “alone time” or “private time” became increasingly difficult to find. So, why was Jesus praying at 3:00 o’clock in the morning? On that particular, the middle of the night was the only quiet time He could find to reconnect with the One Who “recharged” His earthly life. So while everyone else was sleeping, He slipped away to be alone in prayer.
I have met with a lot of couples and families over the last few weeks at wedding receptions or baptismal celebrations or while visiting with them at different venues and in nearly every visit, I have been asked this question. “So, how’s your summer going Der Hayr?” I would find myself quickly looking back and wondering where the summer has gone? I look forward to a peaceful summer each year, but this year again it passed all too soon. Maybe some of you can relate to that as well. Some days it feels like the demands for our attention are endless. As we meet each of those demands, new demands come and we leave less time for ourselves. I say this because every one of us has to “take in” in order to “give out.”
Every one of us needs to refresh ourselves, re-nourish our hearts, replenish and restore our lives. Every one of us needs to so we can be all that we were created to be. Every day there are messages and emails, work demands and family needs and notifications that never seem to stop, but if all we do is answer those needs, when do we answer the call to take care of ourselves? Let’s not misunderstand the point. We are called to live in community. We are called to care for each other, share with each other, lean on each other to gain strength and feel encouraged; but we can only do that by taking the time to connect with God—to share with Him our joys and sorrows and lean on His shoulders to gain strength and feel encouraged.
Not surprisingly, Jesus understood this need as well. For example, when He entered a house to heal someone, crowds gathered outside because they wanted more from Him. When He preached all day for three days straight and cared for and healed people, they followed Him because they wanted more. When He breathed life back into the body of a young girl, they crowded around Him because they wanted more.
Then, at one of these places, the Gospel of St. Mark tells us that “very early in the morning, while it was still dark,” Jesus got up and went somewhere alone to pray. We don’t actually know if it was 3:00 a.m. but we do know everyone else was asleep and Jesus deliberately disappeared. When His disciples eventually found Him, they said to Him that “everyone is looking for you!” Everyone was looking for Jesus, but He didn’t let everyone else’s urgency decide where His attention went. He made space to be alone with His Father because He needed it and this was routine for Him. He didn’t wait for life to become quiet before He prayed. He intentionally stepped away from the noise to find a quiet place to be with His Father.
We live in a world that constantly competes for our attention. Even when we are alone, we are scrolling or watching or listening or thinking about what’s next, but if Jesus regularly stepped away from the noise to pray, why do we expect to stay close to God without doing the same.
So, let’s give ourselves a gift today. Today, before the day is over, let’s put our phones down, find a quiet place and time and just be with God. We deserve that. Let me end with this. It is a quote from Dolly Parton, who we all heard sadly passed away last week. She said, “I know God is real because I talk to Him every day.” Before today is over, let’s find a quiet place to spend with God.
Amen.