Pray Continuously

10-16-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Aruldoss

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord! Pray, pray, pray! That is the message of the readings of this Sunday.

In our first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, we find Moses’ interceding for the Israelites as they engage in a fierce battle against Amalek. As long as, Moses keeps his hands raised, the Israelites succeeded. But when his hands grow tired, the Israelites begin to lose ground. In his wisdom, Moses anticipated that he would need support from his community as he engaged in this spiritual battle. He brought Aaron and Hur along with him to support him as he began to grow weary. Moses relied on his friends to hold his hands up so that they remained steady until the battle was won. The psalm of today also declares “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”. God is our provider. So we need to pray to Him continuously.

In today’s gospel, Jesus further expresses the importance of continuous prayer. Luke writes: He told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually without becoming weary. By introducing the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow in today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the “necessity of praying always and not losing heart.” Constancy in prayer is Faith in action. Jesus presents the widow in today’s Gospel as a model of the trust and tenacity with which his disciples are to pray. The lesson is about the persistence of the one who prays. God wants us to be like the persistent widow, staying in relationship with God, confident that God hears and answers prayers.

Finally, we must never be tired of praying because God is never tired of listening to us. He might take time to open the door like the judge in today’s parable. However, if we do not quit, He will surely hear, and answer us.

Have a great and Happy Sunday!

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