October 17, 2016
29th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C
(Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2; Luke 18:1-8)
15/16 October 2016 – St. Austin Parish, Austin, TX
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series on prayer. Read part one here.
Luke is the gospel of social justice, and today’s parable about a widow and a judge has overtones of social justice. Throughout his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, Luke repeatedly talks about widows as the members of society in the most need of mercy. One of a Jewish judge’s main responsibilities was to make sure that widows were treated fairly.
But our other Scripture selections today invite us to look at the parable from another angle. Second Timothy urges us to remain faithful to what we believe; Exodus tells of how Moses was able to keep his arms raised all day long during an important battle. The main point of the gospel is about persistence in prayer. Let us be thankful that God is persistent in showing us mercy!
This is not the first time in Luke that Jesus instructs us to be persistent in prayer. Seven chapters ago, he asked, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Likewise, we could paraphrase today’s gospel: “If a corrupt judge, who has no regard for justice, rules in favor of a persistent widow, how much more will the Father speedily render justice to those who cry out to him?”
And yet there are times in our lives when it seems as if God isn’t answering our prayers. It’s frustrating. It’s been said that God only has three answers to our prayers: yes, not yet, or I have something better planned for you. Maybe God doesn’t say “Yes” to our prayers because we’ve been asking for a snake or a scorpion, when a fish or an egg would better meet our deepest desires.
In my own life, I’ve come to recognize that perhaps I’m not the best judge of what I need. Some days, I’m able to pray as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane: “not my will, [God,] but yours be done.” Most days, I’m not holy enough to completely detach myself from the outcome I desire. Nevertheless, I try to give God options. For example, I no longer pray that I will hit the Powerball jackpot; I just pray that God will provide the Paulist Fathers with a way to care for our older brothers. So, if any of you have an extra 30 million dollars that you don’t know what to do with, God maybe be using YOU to answer my prayer!
I work with a lot of people who say that they don’t pray, that they don’t know how to pray, or that they don’t pray consistently. I advise them to find five minutes a day, at the same time every day, to pray. But did you catch that seeming throw-away line at the beginning? “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.”
Of course, five minutes of dedicated prayer time every day is not the equivalent of praying always. But what does it really mean, to “pray always”? Probably not what a lot of us first imagine. If we prayed twenty-three-and-a-half hours a day, would we be falling short of what Jesus asked of us? There are many things that we need to do every day: to eat, to sleep, and to exercise, to name a few. Surely, God wants us to do those things. He probably doesn’t have a problem with us working, studying, and caring for our family and friends, either!
Many of us need to broaden our idea of what we consider to be “prayer.” When I led RCIA, we had a huge emphasis on prayer. For these people considering joining the Church as adults, one of the first things we taught them was something called “The ACTS Method” of prayer. That’s A-C-T-S, ACTS. Even if you haven’t heard of it, it’s a fairly basic concept. In fact, it’s listed on the inside front cover of Christian Prayer for Dummies.
“ACTS” is as an acronym for four basic ways to pray. The ‘A’ is for Adoration – recognizing God’s greatness and immensity. The ‘C’ is for Confession – acknowledging our failings to God. The ‘T’ is for Thanksgiving – expressing our gratitude to God. The ‘S’ is for Supplication – making our needs known to God.
All four ways of praying are essential and important, but so many Christians equate the word “prayer” only with supplication. For so many of us, when we hear “pray always,” we think that means “at every moment, you should be verbalizing your needs to God.” No! Prayer is so much more than that!
Let’s definitely give a few minutes of our day to supplication. And let’s give a few minutes of our day to confession. But let’s strive to live every moment of our lives with an attitude of adoration and thanksgiving. If you’re new to the life of prayer, start with five dedicated minutes a day expressing your thanksgiving to God. With practice, our prayer will become as easy as breathing.
Do I pray always? No, but I’m making progress. When I swing my feet out of bed in the morning, I rejoice in God’s creation. When I’m at the gym, I thank God for my health. When I see the Capitol, I pray for the state’s leaders and for its poorest residents. When I process down the aisle at Sunday Mass, I revel in the privilege of journeying with all of you. When I go to bed, I thank God for my day.
St. Francis of Assisi supposedly said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” G. K. Chesterson wrote, “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the play and the opera, and grace before the concert and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing; and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” Let us pray at all times; if necessary, let us use words.