From Our Pastor: 29th Sunday In Ordinary Time
“Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” Persistence is a value and virtue we must have in the life of faith. Persistence in learning the faith. Persistence in teaching the faith. Persistence in living the faith. Persistence in prayer. These are of utmost importance. These things are of utmost importance for parents to do with their children including convince, reprimand, and encourage. These things are of utmost importance for priests to do with the faithful...convince, reprimand, and encourage through all patience and teaching. We must remain persistent in this work that God has called us to.
Prayer is the foundation of all of this, and the readings tell us of this persistence and that posture in prayer does matter. People ask all the time why Catholics have what people term “Catholic aerobics.” Sit, stand, kneel. Posture does matter, we see in the first readings. As long as Moses held his hands raised up in prayer, they won the battle. When he was too tired to keep his hands raised up, Aaron and Hur supported his hands. We sit to listen. We stand in unity and readiness to serve. We kneel in respect and adoration to the presence of the Lord God with us. The priest has postures that are of utmost importance as well. One of the most important is the orans. The orans is a posture of intercession. It is where the priest holds his hands up in front of him to gather the prayers of the faithful and offer them to the Lord.
Most especially Jesus spells out the need for persistence in prayer. Jesus tells us a parable to teach us the need to pray always without becoming weary. Pray always! This year our stewardship focus is on prayer. Make it a part of your life. Make it a part of your family life together. Teach your kids to pray. Pray with your children and family. Pray meal prayers. Pray when you first wake and when you go to sleep. Pray before and after work. Pray before and after chores in your life. Offer those chores and your work to the Lord AS prayer. Talk to God regularly! Speak to Him briefly. Speak to Him in length. Talk to the Lord in good times as well as the bad. So often we turn to the Lord when things are bad but turn to Him also in the times that are good. Pray for yourselves, your spouses, your children, your family, your friends, your parishioners around you, your priests, all the clergy, the sick, the homebound, politicians, and even strangers. Pray for conversion of your own heart and of others to the Lord. Never cease praying. We need prayer so that Christ may reign in this world. When the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, comes again, will He find faith on earth? If we stay persistent in prayer, that answer will be a resounding....YES! Persist in prayer.
-Rev. Steven Arisman
