Before I dive into these wonderful readings, let me ask you ask you, “isn’t it true that some of the simplest things are also the hardest to do?” Think about the roll of toilet paper in your bathroom. How hard is it to change when it's empty? It takes, like 5 seconds to swap out. But how many times have we walked into this sacred space only to see a new roll perched precariously on the old like some sort of outhouse Jenga? Surely it took more effort to get the balance right than just change the roll! This is not an isolated problem. I read an article in the paper that there is now an escalating battle in the TP industry; double, triple, jumbo and mega rolls are no longer enough. They’ve all been wiped out by Charmin who is now offering the forever XL roll, complete with its own stand. It is more than 13” in diameter and is equivalent to 36 rolls of standard toilet paper. I think it's bigger than the tire on Fr. Sullivan’s Prius!! Of course this still does not eliminate the basic problem of who changes the roll; it simply delays it.
Changing a roll of toilet paper isn’t the only simple thing that we humans have a hard time doing. Prayer is another. What is prayer? In it’s most basic form, it is simply talking to God. We can speak with the Lord anytime, anywhere, about anything. He is always listening and present to us whether we are here in church, in the car, at work, on a run, somewhere without cell service; you name it, he is there. Yet even though it is so simple, we struggle mightily to pray and even more so to keep praying on a regular basis. How often we put it off, over and over again, stacking many other tasks and activities on top of something that is so simple, easy, and essential. Or we start out strong, when prayer feels good and comes easily but then give up when it becomes challenging and dry?
We might wonder why we have to pray at all. If God knows everything and can do anything, why does he need our pitiful little words? Here’s the truth: God doesn’t need anything from us. He is complete. But He, in his wisdom, knows that prayer is what we need; prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us. And that process of articulating what we need, asking favors for ourselves and others, expressing sorrow for our sins, gratitude for blessings, all these things regenerate our spirits, increase our faith, and provide strength, healing, and eventually, holiness. God could do everything for us but, like a good parent and teacher, he knows we have to be part of the journey. Prayer is our participation in the process of becoming saints and returning to heaven. Prayer is something that is not hard to do but we have to do it. God can’t do it for us. He does the heavy lifting and hard work of salvation. He sent his son to fight evil and conquer sin and death. Our part is to stay close to Him and support one another.
Which brings us to another point about prayer. We don’t just pray for ourselves or by ourselves. One of the great lies of modern times is this notion of rugged individualism, that somehow we are strong when we don’t need anyone and do everything on our own. God loves us as unique persons but he saves us as a community, a family. We are not little spiritual islands that make our lonesome way to heaven. We do it together as members of a spiritual body. Our job as Christians is not just to be good people and make holy choices but also to support one another in the ups and downs of life. In the marvelous first reading we see this played out. Moses is praying on behalf of the people who are battling the Amalekites. God is doing the tough work of making them win but he asks Moses to lifts his hands in prayer, protection, and intercession. When he does this the Israelites win. But holding out one’s arms is hard to do, especially when the battle lasts all day. Moses gets tired and when he lowers his arms, he is no longer praying and the Israelites start to lose. God’s people figure this out pretty quick and they send Aaron and Hur to help poor Moses. They support him in prayer, they are truly his prayer partners and together with God they help the Israelites win the day against their enemies.
Jesus is the new Moses who holds out his hands on the cross until the victory is won. We are reminded of Jesus interceding for us in the battles of daily life every time we walk into a church and see his arms extended on the crucifix. But we are not just spectators. We need to be like Aaron and Hur, supporting each other in prayer, holding up the arms of those who have grown weary and discouraged. I cannot tell you how many times, as a priest, I have felt worn out or discouraged and wondered, “is my life and my ministry making any difference at all.” It never fails that someone will respond to my doubt and discouragement with something simple yet meaningful like, “I’m praying for you” or “I appreciate what you are doing”. I am humbled by how many times my arms have been lifted up by you, by your kindness and prayers and genuine encouragement. That’s why the “Our Father” has become one of my favorite parts of the Mass. In that moment, when I extend my hands in prayer with you and for you, I am reminded we are helping each other in the spiritual battle that continues as soon as we leave church.
Reflecting on these readings also showed me how often I skimp on my prayer. I do fine during the week with a set routine but then when my schedule opens up, when it’s my day off or a morning where I can sleep in or I’m on vacation, how quickly I abandon those moments to talk to God! I suspect we can all relate to that struggle; knowing we ought to pray but putting it off until the day or week has flown by. So how about this? The next time you see that empty toilet paper roll, (change it and) let it remind you to pray. It doesn’t take very long, it’s easy to do and it will not only benefit us but others as well. Who knows how our day and our life can be transformed by maintaining this spirit of prayer?! Who knows who might be relying on our prayer to win some spiritual battle? If you struggle to pray or come to Mass, be encouraged! God will send someone to hold up your weary arms, just as he did with Moses. Lord, please give us perseverance in prayer like the persistent widow of the gospel and may we, like psalmist, always say, “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
