PRAY WITHOUT GETTING TIRED
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C (16/10/2022)
(Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18: 1-8)
By Fr. Samuel Udeh
In the first reading from the book of Exodus Moses gives his people support by keeping his hand raised in prayer. For as long as his hands were raised in prayer, the nation of Israel, led by Joshua defeated the nation of Amalek in the fight. As his raised hands grew tired however, Joshua and the Israelites struggled. Aaron and Hur support Moses’s raised hands and this made the people of God stronger. This image in our first reading reminds us of the support of the loving presence of God when we pray. In prayer, God meets us and supports us with his presence. We are also reminded of the support we as Christians give to others when we pray for them.
The Gospel reading today is a parable Jesus tells his disciples about the importance of praying without getting tired. It is about the persistence and constancy of a widow in making her appeal and request to an unjust judge, one who neither fears God nor respects human beings. The point Jesus makes in this story is that if a dishonest and corrupt Judge finally relents and delivers justice to a widow because she does not get tired of making her request, how much more will a good and loving God listen to those who maintain contact with him through prayer? Are we as strong and relentless in our prayer lives like the widow in today’s Gospel? Are we as purposeful and focused as she was? If the challenge is too big for us we can take comfort in the words of the Psalm: Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. We do not need to worry so much about the perfect way to pray or the perfect time to pray. God supports even our desire to pray. That God takes note out our hunger to pray which is itself a gift from God should comfort us. The desire to pray is a gift from God and he is willing to give it to us. At the end of today’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks a very sad question. Although God is good and listens to prayers, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? Jesus is fully aware of how easy it is for us to lose heart and stop praying. Many of us believe God delays I answering prayers. We forget that God’s time is not our time, his ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts.
Prayer is a rich conversation with God. In the second reading from the second letter to Timothy, Saint Paul urges the use of the Holy Bible in prayer. We read: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. In other words study the Bible. We can pray with the stories in the Bible by placing ourselves in those stories and seeing ourselves in the persons and events of the Bible. Constant contact with the word of God is the best form of prayer. Sharing and teaching what we learn from the Bible is also another form of prayer. Lord, may we never grow tired of praying. When Jesus comes again, may he find us watching and waiting in prayer. Amen.
