Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Over the last two weeks the scripture readings have been about faith, prayer, intercession, and healing. If you remember, they were not the easiest topics to write reflections about. I was ready to move on to something else. But God was not! So here is another week of trying to deal with these themes. God sure has a sense of humor!
The focus on today’s readings are intercessory prayer. I am taking a very simple, “back to the basic,” approach as I reflect on prayer. Here are three points about prayer.
1. What is Prayer? I have always reflected on prayer from the perspective of relationships. We have various kinds of relationships. Some of our relationships - our lives depend on them. For example, our closest relationship is family. These relationships consume us. Our rationality, our emotions, our work, our leisure, our happiness and our anxiety revolve around these relationships. And then there are other relationships - friends, acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors, our doctor or attorney. Within the spectrum of our relationships, where does God fit in? Is God family? Is God a friend? Or, is God like an attorney to whom we go when we need help? Perhaps God is closer and dearer than any of these relationships. Or, is God in a completely different league - savior, redeemer, creator? The point I am trying to make is that our prayer will depend on how we imagine our relationship with God. If God is like an attorney, then prayer will be a constant pleading. If God is a friend then prayer will be a conversation. If God is family, then, prayer will be life. Jesus called God “Abba.” It is obvious that his understanding of God as “father” guided his life-choices. This week, try to reflect on ‘who God is for you,’ and what that means for your life, spirituality, and prayer.
2. WHY Do You Pray? How many of you pray everyday? How many of you pray at least twice a day? How many of you pray more that two times a day? Some people are in prayer all day. I know people who are constantly are in conversation with God. But WHY do you pray? What is prayer an expression of, for you? As a pastor, I pray and intercede for everybody who seeks my intercession. It is my way of standing in the gaps. I believe that part of my priestly role is to stand as an intercessor between God and the people. It is like Moses in today’s first reading - I lift up my hands in prayer for my people. In my personal life, though, I am hardly an intercessor. I rarely pray for myself. Prayer, for me, is the expression of my love for God. Prayer is allowing God to be God in my life. Praying is being who I am in God’s presence. I do not pray because I need things from God. I pray because I need God. Reflect upon this question during the week - why do you pray?
3. Intercessory Prayer: What Does it Accomplish? Intercessory prayer, in particular, is our attempt to influence God. We pray that God might intervene on our behalf. However, the reality is that intercessory prayer changes us. There are two examples in today’s readings. In the first reading, as long as Moses had his hands lifted up, the Israelites had the better of the battle against Amalek. As soon as he began to lower it, they began to lose. The gospel reading tells us that the widow was heard for her stubborn persistence. We can easily interpret these stories to mean that Abraham and the widow were able to influence God. In reality, though, prayer changed them. By keeping his hands raised Moses learned to depend on God. He learned and to keep his eyes focused on God rather than on the problem. By constantly nagging the judge, the woman learned perseverance and persistence. Even in my own life, I know how many times I have wanted things to change… but in reality, it was I who changed. Prayer does not always change things, but it certainly does change us. So when you pray for yourself or other, remember that God is accomplishing God’s work in you.
We learn how to pray from Jesus. The first thing he taught them was to call God, “Abba.” For Jesus, God was family, and prayer was a relationship. But then, he also taught us to intercede for daily bread and to forgive our debtors in the same way that God forgives us. Talk about prayer changing us. This Eucharist is the prayer of Jesus. Let us now join him in prayer.
- Fr. Satish Joseph