The Importance of Prayer and of Needing Assistance from Others

In today's first reading, Exodus 17: 8-13, we are given the story of the battle the Amalekites had come to wage against the Israelites.  Moses then ordered Joshua to choose certain men and engage the Amalekites in battle. He promised to enter into prayer:  "I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand....As long as Moses kept his hands raised up [in prayer], 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 [Aaron and Hur, who were with him,] put a rock in place for [Moses] 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."

What do we learn from this Scripture passage?  First of all, that in no way are you and I able to wage battle against the enemies of our souls without the help of others. We need to choose the right people to assist us in the battle against Satan.  Alone, we will lose the battle! and if we surround ourselves with the "wrong" persons, we are also in danger of succumbing to temptation.  Secondly, intercessory prayer and our own recourse to prayer is essential to our success in overcoming temptations.  "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."  Thirdly, weariness is not an excuse to abandon prayer. If  necessary, sit down and rest but do not stop praying. Fourthly, engage partners to assist us in praying for God's mercy and strength to sustain the battles we face on our way to eternal life! Fifthly, pray for the humility to ask for help, to acknowledge our need for prayer partners.

Lord God, forgive us when we forget the importance of prayer and of asking for help to wage war against Satan.  Forgive us when we let pride dominate our attitudes and thus fail to acknowledge that we need others to help us in the battles we face that threaten our resolve to do good and avoid evil.

"Do not be afraid; just have faith" (Cf Matthew 5: 21-43)

In today's first reading,  Hebrews 1: 1-4, St. Paul encourages us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our leader and the one who perfects our faith.  Knowing that he was about to return to His Father, Jesus resolutely goes up to Jerusalem, where He is arrested, condemned and put to death by people under the influence of the Evil One.  St. Paul asks us to consider "how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that [we] may not grow weary and lose heart."

During His sojourn here on earth, Jesus Himself never lost heart or grew weary of loving tenderly, acting justly, and doing what was right (compare Micah 6:8)  for those who expressed their faith and trust in Him. We have examples of that in today's Gospel, Mark 5: 21-43, where a woman who suffered hemorrhages for twelve years believed that if she only touched the hem of His garments she would be healed and she was! Jairus, a synagogue official, whose twelve-year-old daughter lay dying,  approached Jesus asking that He come down to his house and "lay [His] hand on her that she may get well and live." People told the father that his daughter was dead and that he should stop bothering Jesus. The people also mocked Jesus when he entered the synagogue's house. He disregarded their message that she was dead and said to the official: "Do not be afraid; just have faith." Jesus, with some of his disciples, went into the house and  healed the dying child. "'Little girl, I say to you arise' [and she] rose immediately and walked around." 

The opposition, the mockery, the doubts that flew around did not cause Jesus to  "grow weary [or] lose heart."  He knew who he was and he recognized individuals who also knew that helping others and revealing God's compassion toward us was what Jesus was all about.  Nothing stopped Jesus, not even death itself!  He held nothing back on our behalf!

That was true 2000+ years ago and is true today, as well! When we express faith in God in seemingly hopeless situations, some people may mock our faith and tell us that all is lost and that we should give up. In those times, Jesus says to us: "Do not be afraid; just have faith."

God Gives Strength to the Weary

In today's first reading, Isaiah 40: 25-31, the prophet reminds us that "[t]he Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.  He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound...They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint."

Think of the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. To "the fainting" God gave strength. To the  weak, God made "vigor abound."   Those who hoped in the Lord, renewed their strength. In some cases, they soared "as with eagles' wings; they [ran and did] to grow weary," walked and did not grow faint.  Think of Mary on her way to visit Elizabeth, of Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem. Think of Jesus on His way to Calvary--how did He ever make it to the top of that hill where He was crucified. God provided the strength and the hope and the help He needed along the way. The same with you and me!  As long as we hope in the Lord, our strength is renewed!  I recall my mother saying often: "I don't know how we would make it without our faith!"  For me to this day, my strength is always renewed in prayer, in the times when I set time aside to soak in the light of God's Presence in contemplative silence. What about you?

Laboring and Carrying our Burdens in the Strength of the Lord

Jesus says to us in today’s Gospel, Mt 11: 28-30, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”    In the first reading, Isaiah 40: 25-31, Isaiah reminds us that God “does not faint or grow weary” and that “his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.”  There is nothing about you or me  that God does not know.  He knows when you or I have grown weary. He knows when we feel faint and overwhelmed by what we are facing in our lives, in this very  hour.  He knows exactly where you and  I are on this journey to the Promised Land. He knows whether we are in “inclement weather,” buffeted by storms too much for us, whether  we are on a smooth path or a rough one, whether we have encountered an “enemy,” or are approaching a hostile or a friendly environment.  He also knows whether we are “armed” for the battle or ill-prepared.  “Why,” God asked, “do you even think that your “way is hidden” from me or that your rights are “disregarded” by  me? “Do you not know or have you not heard, Isaiah asks, that the Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth, that God “does not faint nor grow weary,” that “his knowledge is beyond scrutiny,” that he “gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound.”  Do you not know  that those who “hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”  Yes, if we come to Jesus, in good times and in “bad”, we will know all these things!