Reading I: Exodus 17:8-13
Reading II: 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2
GOSPEL: Luke 18:1-8
Our Puzzled Lives
“Pray.” We’ve been hearing that a lot lately. This four-letter word has been said to have the power to strengthen and heal. But even though these can be scary times, I find it hard to consistently pray.
That’s why I like the readings this weekend. They remind me that everyone has times when it’s difficult to pray. In those times, the faith and friendship of others will help complete us. It’s as if our lives are a puzzle, and all of the pieces must be in place.
Stick ‘em up, Moses!
The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures this Sunday has the Israelites in a fierce battle. Moses goes up and stands on a hill and raises up his special staff. Every time he prays in this way, he notices something pretty awesome: the Israelites are victorious.
The battle rages on, but Moses gets tired of standing with his hands raised up. Knowing this, Aaron and Hur set him on a rock and then help hold up his hands. With their help, Moses can continue to pray and the Israelites win the battle!
Vice Squad
This reminds me of a story I heard about three old women. With their husbands dead and gone, they had too much time to get into trouble. One smoked too much. Another drank too much. And one ate too much.
One day, they decided to help each other get over their bad habits. If one felt the urge to pursue one of her vices, she was to call one of the others. So when the woman who smoked too much needed a cigarette, she would call another and talk to her about her incessant craving for nicotine. She’d tell the other woman how smoking calmed her. The other woman would remind her of all that she had to live for and give her suggestions of other ways to relieve stress.
The same was true for the woman who drank too much and the one who ate too much. Whenever they felt the need to indulge in liquor or food they would call one of the other women. They’d talk about their desires, and one of the others would get them through it.
After a couple of months of persistence with this method, they went out to celebrate overcoming their addictions. At the restaurant, the one who used to drink too much asked if they minded sitting in the smoking section, the one who used to eat too much asked what was on tap, and the one who used to smoke too much asked to see the dessert menu.
They all looked at each other in amazement. Their vices had sounded so good to each other that they just had to try them.
The point of this story? Though we may need each other, we still need God in the equation, too. Yes, we need to help one another, but we cannot forget to include the Lord!
Lean on Me
The song “Lean on Me” says it best. “Lean on me when you’re not strong. I’ll be your strength. I’ll help you carry on. For it won’t be long ‘til I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.” The stories today show us that we can’t do it alone. Prayer is as much a communal activity as it is a personal one-on-one with God.
Praying may not always be something that comes easy. Heck, it wasn’t even easy for a lot of the saints. But the saints knew that the key to prayer was persistence.
Sometimes it’s hard to be persistent. The church, even before it was a building, was the first self-help group. It was a bunch of people who realized that the journey of faith could not be lived alone. In fact, that is the underlying reason for the Church and religion, in general. God doesn’t need the Church, we do!
We can all have a tremendous impact on each other and the world. Right now, someone needs us. We need someone. And we all need the Lord. Our lives are a puzzle that isn’t complete if any parts are missing.
Life Applications:
How have you helped others who have fallen short of achieving what they desire?
How willing are you to let others help bear your burdens?
Who are the people that are role models of the faith life you desire to attain?
Who are you a role model to?
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C):
Original article by Nick Popadich, 2001-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.