One of the courses that Fr. Enan teaches in the seminary is Ecumenism. He was very interested in visiting a synagogue because there are no synagogues in his city. We went to the synagogue on Brownell Ave. Rabbi Kantor welcomed us and showed us the worship area.

He said that it would be meaningless to have a synagogue if people didn’t come to pray.

Isn’t that true of this beautiful church? The beauty of this church is not for tours as though it were a museum. All the beauty of this church is to help us to pray.

We are the Church. We are the spiritual building that makes Christ present in the world. We are the Body of Christ.

We are not the Church if we do not pray. Many people say, "So long as I am good to my neighbor, I do not need to pray". We, as Church, are not just an humanitarian institution. We are the People of God.

In the Gospel Jesus went to a deserted place to rest and to pray. We need to get away from our busy lives and pray. A quick prayer when I get up and when I go to bed isn’t enough to develop a relationship with God. Coming to Mass every Sunday and not praying for the rest of the week is not enough to grow in a relationship with God.

Some people designate a special place in their home to be the getaway place for prayer.

It can be set aside by using a crucifix or candle or some other special way. It can be a special chair or whatever else can mark this as a sacred space for prayer.

It needs to be a substantial amount of time with God in prayer. People will respond, " I just have so much to do. I can’t fit another thing in". If we make time for prayer, we will have time to do everything else and better. Prayer is not another thing to do. Prayer is the source of our energy and strength.

This Tuesday, Bishop Elect George Coleman will be ordained and installed as our Bishop.