30th Sunday In Ordinary Time - follow-up

The homilies that I heard led to some more things I wanted to ponder, so here they are:

Fr. Matt talked about the posture of prayer.  Something I hadn't really focused on previously is how the two men in the Gospel are physically situated.  We were reminded that we are called to pray with our bodies.  I've heard it said that non-Catholics consider a Catholic Mass to be a bit of a workout, or at least, it appears to keep us moving (up, down, kneel, sit, stand, process, etc.)!  But it is important to keep our posture in mind when we pray.  For me, if I do not kneel by my bed for my morning and night prayers, I will likely get distracted and only half-heartedly recite them.  But if I am on my knees, I am able to better focus on what I am doing.  I become present to that moment, rather than skipping ahead to what's next.

This thinking reminds me of my communication classes in college - how to be a good listener, how to engage your audience, etc.  Think of the difference if you are speaking to someone who is leaning forward in their chair, nodding and smiling, compared to someone who is slouched in their chair and they appear ready to fall asleep or at least day-dream.  Our prayer posture should get the same consideration that we give to any event.  If we are preparing for an important speech, we don't start off with a timid smile and our eyes glued to our notecards.  No!  And we tailor our talk to our audience.  Why shouldn't we do the same with God?  Not that we have to perfect our speech or get our details just right before we begin talking to God, but we could at least give God our undivided attention.  Maybe it's not 30 minutes today, but what about 5?  Maybe, instead of grabbing the remote control or laptop or tablet or whatever digital devices we own, we could 'take 5' with God first?  I struggle with this concept, so I consider this to be an on-going challenge.  I want to give God thanks and praise for the astounding blessings in my life, and I don't want God to be an after-thought.  Good thing I have fellow believers to support me when I struggle and whom I can encourage as well.  May we not give up, so that we can say, as in 2 Timothy, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith."

Prayer - God, help us use our bodies in prayer, so that we can praise You even more.