Homily: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 2007

Brothers and sisters, today's readings all show the need for persistent prayer. "As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight." Ex. 17:11. In this evocative portrayal of intercessory prayer, Moses' hands lifted in prayer directly helped the Hebrews in their bitter battle: as long as he kept them raised, Israel was winning. But he couldn't continually do so. It is illustrative that he was allowed to have help: the comfort of the rock to rest on and the aid of his friends who stood at his side and held his arms up in supplication to God. I love this Biblical passage. We lean on our believing friends, and truly, they help us pray and help our prayers to be effective. We can sometimes relax a little and sit down -- we don't always have to kneel, for instance -- and we can turn to others and accept their help. And we can assist them, too. I put to you Aaron and Hur were just as responsible for Israel's victory. They held up Moses' hands -- they were praying for him and with him -- and most importantly, God accepted their offering and heard their prayer and answered it with a big, fat "Yes."

And just as important is the dynamic of persistency, of so-called "constant prayer" -- in season and out of season, as it were: "Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient." 2 Tim 4:2. In other words, don't give up. Of course, a corollary to all this is: don't have immature or erroneous expectations. Don't think, oh, I prayed for it once -- and briefly -- and now it should be mine. It doesn't work that way. For one thing, God is outside of time -- time to Him is very different than it is to us. Perhaps your "persistent prayer" seems long to you, but it isn't to God. You'll understand some day. But it's important for us to keep trying, and when our prayers ARE answered, to be grateful. I remember a woman I worked with in the Legion of Mary. She had prayed for 12 years to be released from the fibromyalgia that painfully afflicted her hands. Twelve years! And one day she was healed. She thanked God without a trace of bitterness or impatience. That was many years ago, but I still remember it. And I honor her example. So . . . if you've been praying for something and it hasn't happened yet, ask yourself: have you been praying for twelve years yet? Don't give up. Remember the example of the widow and the unjust judge in today's Gospel. If you want something badly enough and you pester God long and faithfully enough, you will get your just decision. This is a great and hopeful sign. If even you who are evil are able to be generous, how much more so will be the All-Holy One?

[pause]

Let us now profess our faith . . .