Thursday in the First Week of Lent
When I was a young monk I noticed Br. Kevin spending a lot of time praying in church, I asked him, “Why do you spend so much time praying in church?” He replied, “Because prayer is never wasted, it is always worthwhile.” That made a deep impression on me about the value of every prayer.
I remember reading a short story titled “The Lady or the Tiger” in which the hero is faced with a dilemma. He is in a coliseum standing before two doors. Behind one of them there’s a beautiful maiden. If he opens that door she will be his. Behind the other there’s a ferocious, hungry tiger. If he opens that door he is finished.1
But Jesus teaches us that when we pray there will always be a something good behind every door. Our prayers will always be answered with what is good for ourselves or for others.
- Frank Stockton, The Lady or the Tiger and other Short Stories, TOR.