I grew up on a small farm in Dallastown. We were kind of isolated, with our closest neighbor being about half a mile away. My dad worked full-time—mainly second shift—when I was young, so with five kids all stuck in that small farm house, I am sure that we got on my mother’s nerves quite often. In order to keep us entertained, one thing my mom would do was buy us those paddles with the rubber ball attached to it with a rubber band, the one where you had to see how many times you could hit the ball with the paddle. But what wasn’t fair was that when the rubber band would break, my mom would keep the paddle in the kitchen drawer and was not afraid to pull the paddle out to use on us if we misbehaved. I can still hear the sound of that kitchen drawer slamming shut after my mom grabbed the paddle.
I can remember one particular time when I wanted a snack, even though I hadn’t eaten all of my supper. I pestered my mom all evening long, until I heard that drawer open and slam shut. I stopped my pestering real quick!
Back then, we were not allowed to pester our parents for things. When mom or dad said “no,” that was the end of the discussion. And heaven help us if we tried to play one against the other!
When I read the Gospel earlier in the week to start thinking about my homily, all I could think about was how the widow was pestering the judge. So why would Jesus use this parable about praying? God doesn’t want us to pester Him, does He? Well, as a matter of fact, God doesn’t mind being pestered; on the contrary, He prefers it. Is it wrong to think that in our Gospel, Jesus is saying we need to pester and annoy God until He begrudgingly gives us what we want? No! The judge in our Gospel delays, avoids, and doesn’t really care about the widow. In fact, the judge only cares about himself. If he renders a favorable judgment on the woman, it is for his sake, not the woman’s.
But our God is not like the judge. We won’t have to wait for an answer since He is a good Father, not a selfish judge, and God always hears us.
But why does God want us to pray? Think about it; God has no need for our prayers. God knows what we want in our hearts before we ask for them. Simply, we pray because all creation prays to God and thanks Him for their many blessings. Our Muslim brothers and sisters pray five times a day and our great saints became saints because they prayed. So why not us?
Jesus Himself prays in the Gospels! He prays when He is baptized in the Jordan River and the heavens opened. He prays in the desert after His baptism and overcomes the devil’s temptations by His prayers. Even when He is so busy with His ministry, he finds time to be in union with God. In our Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they may pray always without becoming weary. We pray to God in order to be closer to Him, to be in union with Him and to strengthen our faith.
Pray, pray, pray! Seems kind of basic and common sense, doesn’t it? I mean, that is why we are here, right? “So, what else do you have, Deacon?”
Well, when we think about it, the message does seem easy to understand. Pray to God, because He is the source of all we have. On the other hand, we also know how easy it is NOT to pray, to forget God, especially when things are going well. Let us have a test tomorrow at school, or the furnace won’t turn on, or maybe we see that state trooper following us in our rearview mirror. I bet we turn to God in prayer to ask for help! This is the same story we find throughout Jewish Scriptures, our Old Testament. When things go well, people abandon God. When things fall apart or when there are disasters, people turn to God once more.
The reading from the Book of Exodus also teaches us about supporting one another in prayer. Prayer does not have to be solitary; we are called to live in community. And when we pray for others and with others, those others pray for us as well. We are called to look at the big picture, called to look at those around us who are in need of prayer, called to get our noses away from our screens and look at the world. For example, did anyone notice the altar linens changed from last week? We are still in Ordinary Time, we still have the liturgical color of green, but we are getting closer to Advent. We need to get back to the basics of our faith, get outside of our comfort zone, to simplify our lives, just like these different linens are simpler.
God reminded the Israelites in our first reading that He was the one in charge of their lives, their history, and their circumstances. Of course, their success depended totally on God. Moses, the great prophet and intercessor, did what he knew best: he prayed unceasingly for his people. As long as Moses lifted his hands to God in prayer, the Israelite soldiers were victorious in battle. This reading should remind us that our victory in life depends much on God. It also should remind us that the solution to our daily struggles has both a spiritual and physical dimension.
People are surprised sometimes to discover that the Christian life is a battle. They figured that life would be easier after baptism or after conversion. But remember, slaves don’t have to fight. In Egypt, the Israelites weren’t in the army; they just slaved away in obedience to their Egyptian masters. That is just like the life of sin: it’s not really a struggle. You don’t fight temptation; you just obey it. It is not slaves but free men who have to fight, who have to serve in the army. So it is in the spiritual life. Dr. John Bergsma reminds us that when we leave our addictions behind, having experienced conversion, we enter this life of freedom but discover that freedom means struggle, that freedom cannot be maintained without fighting.
What gives us the power for this fight? You guessed it: prayer! That is the true source of our victory. But it must be persevering prayer that continues until the final victory is won.
Today Jesus reminds us of the necessity “to pray always without becoming weary.” He teaches with His deeds and with His words. St. Luke appears before us as the evangelist of Jesus’ prayers. In some scenes, where the Holy Scriptures depict Jesus’ life, only Luke presents Him in the act of praying. Jesus is the model of petition prayer; from His baptism to the crucifixion, where Jesus prays, “Father forgive them.” Jesus reminds us all that in order to ask God for something, we need to be close to him, as Jesus was with his Father. St. Josemaria Escriva gives a helpful hint for the perfect petition prayer: “More is achieved by whoever goes up closer to plead… that is why you must get close to God and be intent on becoming a saint.”
But how do we pray? What am I to say to God who knows what I am going to ask for before I even think of it?
A little boy knelt down to say his bedtime prayers. His parents heard him reciting the alphabet in very reverent tones. When asked what he was doing, he replied, “I’m saying my prayers, but I can’t think of the exact words tonight. So, I am just saying all of the letters. God knows what I need, and he will put the words together for me.”
All three of our readings are simple but powerful, and they show us that prayer is not a quick transaction. It is a relationship that asks for consistency and faith. It’s not always easy; prayer can feel like a struggle, a waiting game, or even like complete silence. But we are called to KEEP AT IT – to pray whether it is convenient or inconvenient.
Today is World Mission Sunday, and it is fitting that today’s readings speak of perseverance, faith, and the power of the Word. The missionaries who go out are modern-day versions of Timothy and the widow. They persist in proclaiming the Gospel in places where the church is small, maybe persecuted, or even just starting to take root. They continue in prayer and faith, even when the soil is dry and the labor seems unfruitful.
And they need our help. They need our prayers and our generosity, to ensure that the Word of God continues to be preached to the ends of the earth. Today, as we pray for those missionaries and those who hear them, the second collection will go to support Pope Leo through his Pontifical Mission Societies in caring for the 1,124 missionary dioceses and territories across the globe.
We need to make prayer a part of the daily flow of our lives. Set aside time each day—morning or evening, or both—to speak with God. Dedicate activities in your day to God—cooking dinner can be a prayer, as can exercise or reading a bedtime story. And rejoice in the Lord, whatever you are going through. Be glad, have hope, because Jesus is in your heart and because He will be with you always. Nothing is impossible with God! Prayer is so important because by ourselves we can do nothing. We need God. And God wants to hear from us. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or long; a simple Our Father or words from the heart will do.
How will God find us showing our faith over the coming week?
A—B—C—D………..
(Deacon James Koch serves at St. Patrick Parish in York and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Spring Grove.)
By Deacon James Koch, Special to The Witness
