First Reading Commentary
We're all familiar with battles whether
they influence us personally or our faith or our country or perhaps even have a
worldly impact. The hands of Moses raised speaks to the human heart and says: "Lord,
I offer this trial up to You - I trust You." The Polish words which appear on the Divine
Mercy image are: Jezu, Ufam Tobie
(Jesus, I Trust in You).
A rare television interview with then,
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, aired on September
5, 2003. He was asked his opinion of the
root causes of the priestly abuse crisis.
What Cardinal Ratzinger identified as a specific element is a weakness
of faith. He said: "I think the
essential point is the weakness of faith, because only if I am really in
confidence personally with the Lord; if the Lord is for me, not an idea, but
the Person of my deepest friendship; if I know personally the Lord and be in
contact of love everyday in the Lord, if for me, faith is the reality. It
is the ground of my life; it is a most sure reality, and not some possibility -
in this case, if I am really convinced and really in contact of love with the
Lord, the Lord will help me in these temptations and I can even win what seems
impossible."
As human beings, we're weak enough as it
is, but to make little to no effort to draw closer to our Lord Who loves us
beyond our capacity to understand, then that can certainly make us a target for
unthinkable evil. But as Aaron and Hur
supported Moses, so are we here for each other living out the Christian
ideal.
Jesus came to us through Mary; and it's not
a bad idea to return the favor. Simeon
was in ecstasy when Jesus was presented to him in the temple through the arms
of Mary. John the Baptist leaped in the
womb of his mother Elizabeth when the Presence of Jesus was detected in the
womb of Mary. At the wedding feast of
Cana water was miraculously changed into wine by Jesus at the request of
Mary. Saint Alphonsus Liguori said: "Just
as the vine in flower puts to flight serpents, so does the name of Mary force
back the legions of hell."
God's love is immense
but not intrusive; He cannot force Himself upon us because that wouldn't be a
loving act. Evil's desire for us is
usually done through means of deception and in some cases is compelling. And perhaps this is why Scripture is so
adamant about the dangers of being lukewarm.
Saint Paul instructs: "Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in
spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction, persevere in prayer" (Romans 12:11-12). And an
even more powerful and apocalyptic passage in Scripture on the topic of being
lukewarm is: "Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
begin to vomit you out of My Mouth" (Revelation
3:16). Buts arms raised in prayer
daily is our initiative and drive to stay intimately close to our Lord.
Second Reading Commentary
Prayer and doing the work of the Lord is
certainly a great way to stay close to Him.
But perhaps the most critical time for prayer is when you don't feel
like it. Jesus has done so much for us;
why shouldn't we be inconvenienced for Him, especially when considering
something as serious as the health of the soul?
Skipping prayer time is a natural, human desire to avoid
inconvenience. Passing on God's
sustaining Presence and words, however, could leave one open for something far
less desirable even when the mind is duped into believing that a particular
temptation would be time well spent and perhaps more fun.
Saint Paul promotes
the value of Scripture which, of course, in his day would have been the Old
Testament. There's no reason to think,
however, that Paul is suggesting that Scripture alone would suffice. Elsewhere Paul is quite clear about what else
is a key ingredient: "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught" (2
Thessalonians 2:15) – and - Paul also refers to the Church as the pillar
and foundation of truth (cf. 1 Timothy
3:15). A healthy, balanced spiritual
diet, then, is Scripture and Tradition as it is revealed and interpreted by the
Christ-given authority of the Church.
Gospel Commentary
Praying constantly for the same need can be
frustrating. It's not that God doesn't
hear us the first time, or the second time, or the hundredth time. Our Lord has every intention of answering our
prayers. Knowing that He loves us beyond
comprehension, patience and faithfulness are needed, believing that God's time
is better than our time. Certainly Saint
Monica could attest to this as she prayed seventeen years for the conversion of
her son. And how were her prayers
finally answered? The Church was given
the great Saint Augustine. Certainly
there has to be some discernment on our part when praying for the same need
over and over; but surely praying for someone's conversion is a worthy
prayer. Jesus' parable about the need to
pray always is pertinent for each and every one of us. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux once said that no
more than three minutes ever went by without her thinking of God. Even a passing thought of God is prayer
because it's a constant reminder of our invitation to Him to be ever-present in
our lives. While praying seventeen years
for someone's conversion might seem exhausting, in addition to the importance
of the prayer itself, the person offering the prayer is also strengthening
their personal union with the Lord. Even
on the busiest of busy days, pausing frequently to acknowledge God's Presence
is a beautiful prayer and takes only a matter of seconds to do.
In the final verse
Jesus asks the question: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on
earth?" This question can be
applied not only to Christ's Second Coming but also to our own personal last
breath. Prayer requires faith which
produces an ever-growing love and knowledge of Jesus. To pray often is to seek a stronger bond of
love as well as a greater desire to know Him very intimately. When the Son of Man comes will He find faith? When applied to our own final heartbeat,
perhaps a more personal way of asking this question is: When I meet the Son of
Man face-to-Face, will I already be well-acquainted with Him?
