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I watched a good movie this week on Netflix. It is called “The Siege of Jadotville” and it’s the true story of a ferocious battle between UN peacekeepers from Ireland and French mercenaries in an obscure town of the Congo in 1961. It was not a fair fight. A small force of 150 Irish troops who had never been in battle against several thousand battle-hardened former French Legionnaires and Congo Rebel militia fighters. The Irish had only small arms and mortars while the opposing forces had heavy weapons and air support. There was tremendous pressure on the UN troops to give up, to sneak away, to leave the problem to someone else since this was not their country and, seemingly, not their war. Despite these temptations and difficulties, they fought valiantly for days until they literally ran out of bullets. They did not give up, they conducted themselves with honor, and eventually, were recognized as heroes.
This theme of perseverance, of staying the course, of not giving up is running throughout our readings today. In the passage from Exodus, God’s people are in a battle. As long as Moses raises his arms in prayer to God, the Israelites are victorious and successful. Any of you who have held a heavy picture or mirror while someone else checks to see if it is level or in the right place, knows that this is not good for Moses. His arms get tired and when he lowers them to rest, the enemy starts getting the advantage. Hand-to-hand combat between armies in the ancient world was an all-day event. Moses must have been tempted to give up, to let the Israelite army duke it out without his supplication. Instead, the great prophet and leader gets his brother Aaron and a friend to hold up his arms so God’s people can be victorious and rule the day.
St. Paul, in a letter to Timothy, encourages Christians to remain faithful to everything they have learned and come to believe. He challenges them to proclaim the truth of God’s word persistently, whether it is convenient or inconvenient.
Finally, Jesus shares a parable with his disciples about never giving up in prayer. He tells the great story of a widow who is seeking a just decision from a dishonest judge. She is so persistent, so single-minded in her badgering of the judge that he decides to render the proper judgement, not because of justice but because he is sick of her bothering him and he is also afraid she might punch his lights out if he ignores her or rules against her.
In all three readings, perseverance in prayer and witness to the truth of God is key. Like the defenders of Jadotville, we are called to be tenacious in our prayer and living out of the truths of our faith. Even when we get tired. Even when we seem to be ignored. Even when it feels like the world is stacked against us and we wonder if this battle is really ours to fight.
Haven’t we all felt like Moses at some point, praying for God’s will to be done in our lives, our families and our world? Haven’t we prayed day after day for the same things, maybe to be delivered from some sinful fault, for the conversion of a family member, the end of abortion or the death penalty, or for a just and holy person to represent us in government? And yet, the battle is not over and we are getting tired. It is really tempting to want to put our arms down and stop praying, to let someone else handle it and just stop fighting. Our readings emphatically remind us not to give up, to never stop praying!
Maybe its not weariness that we are facing. Perhaps it is discouragement, feeling that we are insignificant, wondering what difference my little life can bring. Today’s readings point out that no life is insignificant or unimportant. Your prayers, your witness makes a difference! Even in a world of 7 billion people, your prayers and contribution are unique. Don’t underestimate the impact you can have in your faithfulness to the gospel and kind acts of charity. Can you imagine a world that never had Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi, St. Francis, or our own beloved Jane Corbett? Imagine how different and impoverished your life would be without your spouse, a sibling, a child, a parent, or a dear friend. Each of these are just one life among billions but what a tremendous and irreplaceable impact every one of them makes! That is why the Catholic Church has always been and will always be so protective of human life. That is why we want you to take your privilege of voting so seriously. Every life, every person, with their gifts, talents and prayers has an indispensable role for the salvation of the world and good of human history.
That purpose, that belief begins and ends with prayer. Please do not underestimate the power of your prayers for your family, for this parish, and for the world. Please do not stop praying each and every day for God to bless and guide you in following his plan for your life. If you are not praying at all or have stopped for some reason, imagine what you could do, more importantly, what God could do with your life if you renew your relationship with him. Imagine how differently the world would have looked if Moses stopped praying on the day of battle or St. Paul had ceased giving witness to the teachings he had learned. Our lives and even the history of the world would have been negatively affected!
May we be people that pray always without becoming weary. Even when the world seems stacked against us, even when we wonder if our prayers and our lives make any difference. Scripture and history show us that they have real power, that they accomplish good things for ourselves and others, both in our lifetime and for generations to come. Believe; then pray accordingly!
