Our readings this weekend speak clearly about perseverance in prayer.
What is perseverance? Perseverance is a quality, a characteristic, a virtue, an energy and a power to stick with it, to hang in there, to not get discouraged or give up.
There are a lot of famous people who were slow starters but persevered until they accomplished their goals.
Winston Churchill was said to be so dull when he was young that his own father thought he would never be able to make a living on his own. It took Churchill three years to complete eighth grade because he struggled in his English classes. Years later, in 1941, he was invited to give the commencement speech at Oxford University. He arrived with the usual props: a cigar, a cane and a top hat. Churchill gazed at his audience as authority rang out in his voice when he shouted, “Never give up.” He paused for a minute and repeated, “Never give up!” His commencement address was finished. But his message was remembered , never give up.
Albert Einstein’s parents feared their child was mentally slow and socially awkward because he did not begin to talk until the age of four and didn’t begin to read until he was seven. His high school teachers suggested he should drop out of school.
Most of us know the story about Thomas Edison. He tried some 2,000 different materials in search of the filament for the first light bulb. When none of them worked, his assistant complained that all of their work had been in vain and they had learned nothing. Edison replied, “Oh we have learned a lot and we have come a long way. We now know the 2,000 elements that don’t work.” Edison didn’t give up; he preserved.
Abe Lincoln failed in business at age 22 and was defeated when running for the legislature at age 23. Then his sweetheart died when he was 26, he had a nervous breakdown at 27, he was defeated for Congress at 34, defeated for the Senate and Vice President at 47, but persevered to become president at age 51.
Both moviemakers and audiences love stories in which the helpless good guy or gal gives the big bad opponent more than they can handle. For example: Rocky, Karate Kid, Erin Brockovich, Braveheart, Rudy, Sleepless in Seattle, Star Wars and Harry Potter.
The difference between average people and successful people can be summed up in three words: “and then some.” Average people do what is expected. Successful people do what is expected “and then some.” People who persevere in prayer are successful because they do what is expected “and then some,” and they just never give up.
Hopefully, you noticed how perseverance was the theme in all three of today’s readings.
Moses sent Joshua to fight the Amalaks. And what did Moses do? He stayed, prayed and persevered with his arms outstretched. When he became tired and his arms began to fall, Joshua’s troops also began to fall. But when Aaron and Hur supported Moses, Joshua’s army continued to win.
Remember, the author is not writing a “war” story, but a “religious” story to teach a religious lesson: to persevere in prayer. The religious story teaches us that prayer is difficult, God doesn’t always answer immediately, and there is a need to pray with others, to hold each other up.
In the second reading, Paul reminds Timothy to persist in proclaiming God’s word, whether convenient or inconvenient.
Perseverance in prayer is also exemplified in the gospel, the story of the woman and corrupt judge. Remember, women in Jesus' time were powerless.
The word “widow” in Hebrew means “Silent One.” And in Greek it means, “One Unable to Speak.” The silence or inability to speak is not like that of a mute person, but as in the biblical world, where a woman did not have a place in society.
In the case of the Gospel, we are not sure of the woman’s opposition or even who the opposition was. Perhaps it was the poor woman against a wealthy landowner or landlord, or something having to do with a settlement of an inheritance, or a collection of a debt owed to her.
Maybe the judge was waiting for a payoff. In the time of Jesus, judges depended on payoffs and often took bribes. That is one reason they didn’t like widows or orphans, they couldn’t offer payoffs and bribes because they didn’t have the resources.
What are the things we know about the judge? He didn’t respect God or the people. He refused to hear her case many times. Perhaps he was mean spirited, opinionated or insensitive.
What are the things we know about the woman? She had lost her husband and was therefore powerless and oppressed, because she was a widowed woman. She was persistent. She tires out the judge with her insistence. Her nickname would be “Persistence.”
Persistence in prayer is required. Not because God is deaf or uncaring, although it may sometimes feel that way. God can seem far away.
Our relationship with God is like that of a child who expects their parents to give them everything they ask for. But good and loving parents know that these requests are not always in their child’s best interests. Especially when the child wants to quit school, eat only junk food or stay out all night.
Let’s face it, it is hard to sustain a regular prayer life. We are overly busy or tired. We face constant distractions, spiritual laziness and boring worship services.
Probably a false notion is that prayer has to be exciting and full of energy, but it can’t be that way all of the time. Prayer isn’t about entertainment.
Praying is demanding, prayer takes energy and praying is a commitment. Begin with just five minutes a day. Five minutes is nothing compared to how much TV you watch or how much time you spend on your electronic devices.
Prayer does have a basic ground rule: You need faith. You also need a couple of other things to persist in your prayer life.
You need to have a specific place and time. In your home, your prayer place could be by a window or outside on a bench. You need a specific time, such as with your first cup of coffee or brushing your teeth.
Have a routine to your prayer. Always begin with a self-made prayer expressing your gratitude to God, for people, health, and the blessings in your life.
Have the Sacred Scriptures, a spiritual book or a daily meditation reading available in your sacred prayer place. Read for a while until something speaks to your heart. Then reflect on the passage or a word. I have been stuck on the word “Hope” for the past several weeks and I know that is because of the circumstances surrounding the death of a fellow priest and friend.
Remember to be persistent because God speaks to us in silence.
All of us have been disappointed in prayer. God answered, but I didn’t accept the answer. Or perhaps I prayed for the wrong things.
There is a story told about a priest who was at the ball game and a player came up to the plate and made the sign of the cross.
The guy next to the priest asked, “Will that help him?”
“Yes” replied the priest, “If he is a good hitter.”
A wonderful short story that Brenden Gill tells is entitled “The Knife.”
A small boy has been praying for months and months for a knife. His father finally gave him one. The father was being indulgent because his son had just lost his mother.
The father heard his young son ask his older brother if he ever prayed for anything. The brother responded, “Of course.”
The younger son then tells his brother about how he had been praying for the knife and finally got it. And, thus, tonight he was going to pray for his mother to come back.
The father overheard and, with tears in his eye, slowly entered the room and simply said, “I gave you the knife son, but I can’t give you your mother back. Just pray to your mom in thanksgiving because she always loved us.”
Remember, the average person, when praying, does what is expected. The successful person, when praying, does what is expected, and then some! Just never give up.
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