Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
It is easy to admire the widow in the Gospel today. She fearlessly and persistently pursues justice when all sides seem against her. She is petitioning a corrupt judge….Now that is a novel and interesting concept. Obviously, it could never happen in our day that we would have a corrupt judge. Oh sorry, I just caught my tongue in my cheek! Moving right along…. In the Gospel this judge fears neither God nor man by his own admission, is likely bribed by her opponent, and influenced by societal norms which did not favor women speaking out for themselves. Despite these hurdles, her very persistence and insistence wins her a just judgement. In this parable Jesus shows us the power of persistent prayer that does not grow weary or indifferent. But I think sometimes it is not only God with whom we need to be persistent, it is with ourselves.
Whether we look out in the wider world, onto the narrower world of our personal experience, or into our own hearts, we are likely to find some suffering, some “dis-ease “as I mentioned in my homily last week. It can feel overwhelming that, despite our prayers, our efforts, and our belief in God’s mercy, suffering continues in so many forms. Here is the opportunity to be persistent with ourselves, to not give up on our God and our faith, but rather to redouble our efforts to be consistent and relentless in our prayer.
Prayer is a crucial part of growing in relationship with our loving God. God does not need us to tell Him what we need, what we want, what we hope for, or what we fear. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and knows our needs better than we could ever possibly express them. We share our needs, our hopes, and our fears to grow in transparency with God. Part of any relationship is practicing authenticity, allowing ourselves to simply be as we are with another person. In prayer we present ourselves authentically to God, and open our hearts to His love, His mercy, and His answers to our wants and needs.
Lastly, it is important to remember that prayer need not only be words addressed to our God. When our thoughts and our actions are focused on justice, peace, unity, and care for one another then these too are a form of communication with God. In this way we can begin to achieve what Jesus asks of us, to pray without ceasing.
I wish you and your loved ones blessings of good health, great hope, and loving persistence,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission Weekly Bulletin.