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Dear Friend, Our experience of
life shows us that if we want to get something we have to go after it. The
more we desire something deeply and passionately, the more we endeavour to
possess it. Perseverance pays of and yields much fruit. But do we persevere
in prayer when we relate to God or do we tend to give up easily? Do we pray
for others in need? Have a blessed weekend interceding with God. Fr. Jude Botelho |
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The first reading speaks of the power of prayer
and a concrete example of this is seen in the case of Moses praying on the
mountain for victory of his people. While Joshua and the army battle the
Amalekites, Moses stands interceding with God and keeps on praying till the
battle is won. More and more Moses was called to play the role of prophetic
intercession for his people. His arms outstretched in prayer have remained a
traditional symbol of prayer. Much more than our efforts is the power that is
available to us when we call on God and avail of his power in our daily life. The power of prayer In today’s Gospel Jesus narrates the parable of the unjust judge and
the widow who persistently demands justice from him until he relents and
gives her what she asks of him. The parable which Jesus narrated however has
a deeper lesson than the need for persevering prayer. In Palestinian
tradition a single judge rather than a tribunal indicated that the woman was
being denied her rights in some money matter. Widows and orphans in the Old
Testament were stock types of persons who were utterly helpless. She is too poor
to bribe the judge, the accepted way at that time, to get justice. In other
words everything was against her getting justice in her favour, yet by sheer
dint of perseverance she got want she demanded. From the Lord’s point of
view, it is the unjust judge and not the poor widow who is the central figure
in this parable. The point of the parable is not the perseverance of prayer
but the absolute assurance of a hearing being granted based on the type of
God we believe in, - a God of compassion and power to help. If human frailty
can rise to the occasion, how much more will God not arise to aid the needy!
We should never doubt the efficacy of our prayer, God might delay in coming
to our aid but come He will, in his time. But do we have enough faith to wait
on His will? Prayer with faith A messenger came to an old ivy-covered castle and knocked with the
great iron knocker. No answer. He tried again; only a hollow echo. But he
knew the folks were at home; for he had seen them in the window. So with
growing anger he grabbed the knocker in both hands and banged away for all he
was worth, 20- 30 times. A slow soft shuffle was his answer. Then a tiny
wrinkled face popped out of a latch hole and timidly enquired whether the
good gentleman wanted to come in. “Do I want to come in?” he raved. “Man,
anyone who knocked as I did, must have.” “Well you see, it’s like this,” said
the elderly lady. “There are so many little children around here who come up,
bang the door a few times and then scamper off, so we’ve learned not to pay
attention to them. But when I heard you knock, I really felt you wanted to
come in; so that’s why I came to open the door.” Bruno Hagspiel in ‘1000 Stories you can use’ “We should not conclude from this gospel account that the way to pray God is to be persistent: only pagans imagine that they will be heard for their many words. (Mt 6:7) On the other hand equally, God is not a judge who would be careless about administering justice. He does wish that we continue to put our needs before him. The lack of goodwill in the judge of the parable should make us understand that God will unfailingly give satisfaction to those who ask. And equally, as against the slowness of the judge, he will not delay to do so. The lessons of the parable are clear: the problem for us is that God seems to remain silent and inactive in spite of our petitions. By encouraging his followers to persevere in asking, Jesus suggests the relationship between faith and prayer……… Faith has need of the breathe of prayer if it is to flower in good works and remain alert and not grow weak and fade away. It is the same as our bodies’ need of food, and plants’ need of water. It is because faith is a living reality and cannot continue if it is not lived, that we ‘pray continually and never lose heart.” - Glenstal Bible Missal Persistence in
prayer The movie Heartland dramatizes the story of the
rugged prairie life in the early 1990’s. A widow named Elinmore Randell
answers an ad to become a housekeeper for Clyde Stewart, a taciturn cattle
homesteader in Burntfork, Wyoming. After a rocky beginning, their
relationships smoothes out and they eventually get married, partly out of
economic convenience and partly out of deep human needs. Together they
heroically endure the hardships of a stubborn soil that yields little food,
freezing winter winds that decimate their herd and the death of their newborn
little boy. In the climax of the story, Clyde Stewart has given up on the
cattle ranch and begins to pack their belongings. But Elinmore won’t let him
quit. She pleads and bargains with him not to abandon their dream. Her
tenacity triumphs when a calf is born, a sign of a new beginning, new life
and new hope. Clyde finally agrees to stay and give the ranch one more try.
Elinmore’s persistence and faith are comparable to the widow’s in today’s
parable. The widow kept coming to the judge for her rights and eventually
wore him out. Jesus uses her as an example of praying always and not losing
hope. Albert Cylwicki in ‘’His Word Resounds’ May we show our faith in unceasing prayer to God who always
answers us! Fr. Jude
Botelho |
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Other Sunday Homily Websites Daily Reflections Immaculate Heart Retreat Center Gospel Commentary from Ireland Daily Scripture |
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Sunday Reflections Twenty-Eight
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Sunday of the Year 07-Oct. 2007 Twenty-Sixth
Sunday of the Year 30-Sept. 2007 Twenty-Fifth
Sunday of the Year 23-Sept. 2007 Twenty-Fourth Sunday of the Year 16-Sept. 2007 Twenty-Third Sunday of the Year 09-Sept. 2007 Twenty-first Sunday of the Year 27Aug. 2007
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