Last week we started our new message series, “Next STEPS.” This series is going to look at the journey of faith and things that can help us in following Jesus in faith. As Christians we are all called to be followers of Jesus, and this is what we call discipleship.

Many of us grew up in the church, and at times it can feel like we are on a trip without directions, no mile markers, and no end in sight. On one level, parishes have been famous for needlessly nagging parishioners with guilt and fundraisers. Yet at the level of people’s minds and heartstoo often parishes have not been asking for anything. Not anything that matters or adds value to our lives.

Discipleship is about following Jesus Christ. It is a journey, and every journey is made up of steps. As the deacons mentioned last weekend, successful discipleship all comes down to simple steps. They are not always easy steps, but they are entirely simple. In this message series we are going to explore five of these specific steps, each of which are, in fact, life style choices; choices that are essential to growing and strengthening our faith. These steps are not obligations; if fact as soon as we look at them that way we weaken their potential effectiveness. The steps we are talking about are aimed at simplifying not complicating our life.

STEPS is an acronym. “S” is about service in a ministry and/or on missions. Jesus called Himself a servant, and He wants His followers to also be servants. “T” is about tithing and giving. God is generous and a giver, and we can use our money to become more like Him. “E” is engage which is about small groups. Faith is personal, but not private; it needs to be lived out in a community. “P” is the practice of prayer and the sacraments. “S” is about sharing our faith with others.

These steps do not need to be necessarily taken in any particular order. Today I would like to reflect on the “P” – the practice of prayer.

It should come as no surprise that an important step in following Jesus and deepening our relationship with Him is talking with Him. This is what we call prayer. But here is what might surprise you: you may be praying wrong. That can sound a bit offensive, but there really is a right and wrong way to pray.

To help us understand this, we are going to look more closely at today’s second reading, and a little be more, from the Letter of St. James. St. James was a relative of Jesus, and he wrote his letter as advice to all Christians to help them grow in faith and spiritual maturity.

Today’s second reading, from Chapter 4 of the Letter of St. James, asks a very poignant question, “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?” We just have to listen to the news to hear about wars and conflicts raging around the world. But it is not just there, often there are conflicts raging in our own families, our neighborhoods, and/or at work. Why does there have to be all this fighting? There are many reasons that we can propose: lack of resources, boundaries issues, poor communication, or just differing ideologies.

St. James would say that those are certainly contributing factors, but that the real problem, “Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain….” (James 4:2-3). By “passions” he means all the ways in which we want more. There is this disordered part in all of usthat wants what we want, when we want it. St. James says that there is conflict on the outside, because there is a war in the inside of us.

This is where prayer enters the picture. St. James says, “You do not possess because you do not ask.” Asking is about prayer. Sometimes we do not have because we do not pray about it. We want something, we need something, but we do not ask God. Or, as St. James continues, “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” In prayer we bring our needs to God, and He will give us what we ask for or – and this is KEY – He will give us something better. The correct way to pray, to ask God for something, St. James tells us is to “Submit yourselves to God” (James 4:7). The original Greek word which is translated “submit” was a military term in which one military force aligned itself with another military force of far greater power and authority.

Prayer is just like that. When we pray we are submitting to God, a force of greater power and authority, who has victory and our greatest happiness in mind.

St. James then tells us the main point of prayer, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The point of prayer is not about getting what we want or manipulating God to give us what we want. The point of prayer is drawing closer to God, so that we can hear His voice and follow Him. “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). Go to God with a humble heart. Pray in a manner in which you confess that God is God and your are not, and He will exalt you.

So how do we get better at prayer? First, we have to practice it. It is kind of like working out. Do it rarely and its difficult. As a result, you don’t like it, so you do it even less. The more we do it, the easier it becomes and the more we like it. It becomes a part of our life style.

Second, we need a plan to practice our prayer. We need content; something to pray, something to say. Without content we start thinking about what we are going to have for lunch or something else. A valuable tool is to get a “daily devotional.” There are a lot of different ones, nearly all have a Scripture reading and a reflection question or two. A devotional helps focus our prayer.

Third, identify a regular time and place to practice your daily quiet, prayer time. I get up every day at 5:30 AM, and after getting my coffee I go to my chapel and spend time with Jesus. As a priest, the Church gives me my daily devotional, its called the Liturgy of the Hours or Breviary, which really any one can pray. Maybe you are not a morning person, so then don’t make mornings your prayer time. Find a time that works best for you. Most of you probably do not have a chapel in your homes like I do, but you can set up a corner in one of your rooms, put up a crucifix and some religious art, and all that you do there is pray.

Daily practice of prayer will make our weekly worship as a community here at Mass richer and more rewarding. The Eucharist nourishes our souls. 

Discipleship is simply following the Lord, step by step. It is not perfection, we are not talking about perfection. None of us is perfect. Itis not about perfection, its about direction. It is following the Lord step by step in the direction of discipleship. A little bit more today than yesterday, and a little be more tomorrow than today.