Mark 11:23-26 and Psalm 102:1-2
I learned something very valuable on El Camino... which is that God answers prayer in HIS own time. If your prayer is faithful, then your prayer might be answered straight away, or in years and years to come. My most striking example of God answering my prayer speedily was when I was walking El Camino, on day 32 of my way. The chaos and the crowds had gotten worse, and the road to Santiago de Compostela was completely packed with people rushing past me, which unnerved me. Until this point, and for 2 solid weeks, I never encountered anybody walking El Camino for spiritual reasons, and yet they were all eager to make claim to the title pilgrim, and rushed to grab all the first beds. By this point, I had offered my irritation up to God, but on this particular day, I was saddened that so few people were contemplating the meaning of the Life given to us by God. By this time, my heart was beating full of life from the Spirit (which I didn't comprehend 100% yet) and I saw with my own eyes the hearts of everyone around me... hearts closed to the Truth around us... on El Camino for reasons that gratified their worldly minds, but not the deepest depths of their souls. In my heart, I did not feel any of these people were true pilgrims walking 'the Way'. My heart despaired at this. I prayed to the Lord, asking Him to send me a sign that there were still true pilgrims on the road - that humanity still existed for Him, that 'The Way' was still sacred and trod on for all the right reasons.
According to my diary: 'And so, by 07:35, I began my first rosary of the day. I dedicated it (of course) for Pope Benedict, but most especially for the true pilgrim. And you would never believed how God graced me! For some reason, as I was beginning the first decade, I prayed in earnest and hope with all my heart that there were still true pilgrims on this road. My fourth Hail Mary in, someone walking behind asked me in English if he could join me. At first I was just so shocked, that the first time someone asked to join me in praying the rosary was on my penultimate day of walking. I then said yes, but I'm already on my fourth Hail Mary, but I've only just started. This man said 'yes, that is ok - I will join only for a little bit!' So together we prayed about on and a half decades of the rosary, and he said thank you, and began to walk ahead. But then he looked back and asked me where I'm from, and I said I'm from London, England. He then said to me I'm from Poland, and I said 'yes I know, I could tell from your accent!' Then he said I'm a Polish Priest! And I nearly stopped in my tracks! A priest asked... to pray with me. I felt embarrassed and nervous, at first, in case I said the rosary wrong. And then I felt unworthy of even leading the rosary. But as he walked ahead, my prayers then and there were being answered. On this road, there were still true pilgrims.' My diary extract goes on... but that shall remain in my diary.
God hears our prayer. And in His time, He answers our prayer. If He didn't, then He wouldn't have sent me a Polish Priest named Father Andrej (please pray for him :)) to pray part of that particular rosary with me, proving to me that there were still true pilgrims on the Way to salvation. Instead His sign would have come as something else, at a later time.
I thank you, O Lord my God, that You answer my prayers. You fill my heart to bursting with Your Grace. You alone are the One who hears the cries of those in distress. Blessed are You!
