+ Today we focus our thought on our relationship
with people: family, friends, co-workers, fellow students and the like; and
also God, our Creator, Maker and Friend – and also a Person, very much so a
Person, in fact Three of them in One God! An essential element in these
relationships is constancy – a
“stick-to-it-iveness” that assures the other person that we will try our very
best to always be there for them, to hold up our end of the relationship. We
need to “stay in touch” with God, with others in order for us not to “lose
touch” – not to “forget” what each relationship really means.
An
example on the heavenly plane comes from the first reading
today: Moses showed his constancy (in
“staying in touch with God,” prayerfully) in supporting the people of Israel by holding up his hands in prayer for them
in their battle against a foe. We need to lift up our hands in prayer
“constantly” on behalf of others who need our prayers – whether we even know
them or not – to help them battle whatever foes they are battling. Prayer is
vital to the successful outcome of any project whatsoever. It really makes a
huge difference in the lives of those for whom we pray. May our prayer remain
sincere, constant and loving – and we
will have done a large part in transforming the world.
In
the gospel passage we see another application, an earthly
application of the same concept of constancy
in prayer and support (but it can also have heavenly ramifications): the story
of the corrupt judge who makes a just ruling as a result of the persistence (constancy) of the
plaintiff. This tells us that we can
even influence by our powerful prayers and conscientious actions those who have
the power to change the lives of others for the better, even though they have
no direct personal stake in the matter and they themselves may be corrupt. God
can use even the most suspicious of characters for his own glory and the
benefit of others – at the persistence and insistence of prayer.
May
we “stay in touch with God,” the
source of all blessing, remaining prayerfully faithful to what we have learned from him
and believed regarding justice, fairness, constancy and love; and may the
living and effective word of God discern the reflections of our hearts and
lead us to right thought, right words and right action on behalf of our brothers
and sisters with whom we must “stay in touch” as well, and may we all be then
led to eternal life!
No comments:
Post a Comment