my priest asked us that question yesterday. what year did you pray best?
he told us about a childhood friend of his who, when he was 7-years old, made a commitment to visit and pray to the Blessed Sacrament - on behalf of another friend - 1,000 times in a single week. 1,000 times!
he started off great. he entered the church, genuflected, and proceeded to say some Our Fathers. next day, same thing, but he quickly realized that he wasn't going to get to 1,000 unless he cut some corners. so, he switched to the (somewhat) shorter Hail Mary.
he did a bunch of those but saw that he still wasn't going to get 1,000 visits in within the week. so, he switched to the Glory Be.
then to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
and then he switched to just making the sign of the cross. by Friday, he was only half-way there. he still had 500 visits/prayers to go. how in the world????
so, what his little 7-year old mind told him to do was, his little 7-year old mind told him to stand at the back of the sanctuary, prop open the door from the narthex to the sanctuary, straddle the entrance, pop his head in and make the sign of the cross, pop his head out, pop back in, sign of the cross, out, in, sign of the cross.
he made it to 1,000.
now.
plenty of us are probably saying that this kid missed the whole point. that he took a sober and thoughtful prayer time and turned it into a playful game.
but.........did he?
maybe what he did is, rather than being playful and silly, maybe he did the very best a little goofball 7-year old who had no idea of the enormity of the promise he had made to the Lord - and to his friend on whose behalf he was saying the prayers - could do. maybe what he did is pray as hard and as fast as his little mouth and hands could go - because he had made a commitment.
a commitment.
i bet God and Christ loved that little boy's earnest, albeit curtailed, prayers.
and i bet the Holy Spirit is still laughing.
and i think what that boy did is adorable.
and i want to learn to pray like that.
