Do I pray and not lose heart?

by Shiu Lan 2016-10-14

Shiu Lan 2016-10-16

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Exodus 17:8-13
In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, “Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. 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. Moses’hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Beloved: Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

Luke 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus teaches us through the parable of the unjust judge that we have “to pray always and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

I always pray. But do I always pray and not lose heart? I must admit that I have lost heart many times. Despite my Catholic upbringing, I am still someone who are more focused on the tangible things in life. Whenever I have to struggle through a very difficult path in my life journey, I would pray very intently for God’s guidance and help. But if the cause is very dear to my heart, I would still ask God that my wish be granted while knowing well that God is seeing me from above, He sees things that I do not see and knows what is better for me in the perspective of my earthly life and the next. Many times, I must confess that I have had great difficulty in accepting His plan for me. I even complained to Him that the tests He gave me were too much to bear.

This parable is a very relevant reminder for us that we must strive to see things not with our earthly eyes but with the eyes of faith. If we ponder on God’s answers to our prayers, we will find that living them out is for teaching us, correcting us. It is our “training in righteousness” (Second reading 2 Timothy 3:16). It will make us a better person in the eyes of God. When Jesus said, “Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7), He is speaking about eternal justice, not justice in the eyes of this world.

Jesus’ concludes his parable with “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). Let us stand up to Jesus’ challenge. In His second coming, may Jesus find each one of us living in faith and are “… proficient, equipped for every good work” as St. Paul’s encouraged us in the second reading. (2 Timothy 3:17)

Shiu Lan

Shiu Lan is your Catholic neighbour with a simple faith and likes praying the Rosary. With a B.Sc from the University of Hong Kong, she worked in Information Technology and Project Management before working with joy at home.

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Do I pray and not lose heart?

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