Hyacinth Carmela Lucañas

A1: The Catholic Prayer & Worship

Isaiah 29:13
The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

Isaiah 58:6-9
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords
of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with
the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe
them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like
the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and
the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will
cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the
pointing finger and malicious talk,”

1. Based on the readings provided in Isaiah 29:13 and 58:6-9, what is truly the kind
of prayer and fasting that God wants?
- Fasting that includes a spiritual fight against our own sin is the only
true fasting which God wants. Whatever else we fast for, we must first
and foremost fast for our own sanctification. The fast that God chose
begins in verse 6 and in verses 8 and 9 are what is promised that will
happen if you trust the fasting directions. That is the fast that was
prescribed for the patient who was suffering from the sickness of
hypocrisy and hardness of heart toward the poor. We must lift the
burden of bondage, feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the
naked, be sympathetic, put away contempt, give ourselves and satisfy
the soul afflicted so that darkness will become light, and we will be
strengthened as God will be around us with righteousness and glory
and will continue to guide us as he restores the ruins of His city and
people.

2. From the video, how was this kind of prayer manifested in the life of Mother of
Teresa of Calcutta?
- The 1997 documentary that was directed by Folco Terzani and Ana
Pincus propitiously showed the kind of prayer that God wanted. All that
was mentioned in the previous paragraph such us feeding the hungry,
clothing the naked, being sympathetic and caring for the poorest of the
poor were manifested very well in the video. It was Mother Teresa’s
mission to do so and her whole journey in Calcutta, India was the
 embodiment of the aforementioned verses and the prayer and fasting
that was chosen by God himself. All throughout the thirty-minute video,
we were able to see how Mother Teresa was able to fulfill and
demonstrate how it is like to serve God as we serve others.

3. Give at least 5 touching/striking lines that you will hear from the video.
- The film started with the words, “In Europe, I had everything I was
supposed to have. I had a good roof above my head, a family, friends
and good health. But I still wasn’t happy.” And right out of the bat, I
was able to resonate to that. I, too, am living a comfortable life but I
always feel like something is missing as I am aware that there’s more
to living than that. Five minutes into the video, the following was said, “I
was surprised at how easily I was accepted as a volunteer. Mother
Teresa wanted no university degrees. She asked only for two
qualifications. Willing hands to serve and a loving heart to love.” If only
that was what every person in the world would look at in every human
being, differences would easily vanish. Upon watching more, I came
across memorable words, Nirmal Hriday, said by Adi, a volunteer, “The
house has a beautiful name, Nirmal Hriday. The Home of Pure Heart.”
It made me want to visit the place and offer what I can to help just like
them. I watched more and started to tear up because as much as I
wanted to get out there and help, I couldn’t; at least not yet. When Adi
was talking about the patients, he said, “We love them all very much.
(They’re) Very easy to love.” And it warmed my heart because for the
volunteers like Adi, it didn’t matter how the people there looked and
behaved. Some were dirty, a lot were sick, but they saw through that
and enjoyed the time they spent with them while the patients were in
their care. “It is easier to cure wounds and starvation than the suffering
which Mother Teresa believes is the worst in the world- to feel alone,
unwanted or unloved.” I may have not lived that long but I know those
words were true. I’ve been there before. I felt alone, unwanted, and
unloved. My parents had their own families and although I was their
first and eldest child, I am illegitimate. My suffering may not be as
grave as others, but I felt the same way and the film validated my
feelings which I thank it for.