Perseverance

Yesterday's readings at Mass were from Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2, and Luke 18:1-8. Each one of these passages has something to do with perseverance and faithfulness. Not everyone has the same gifts. 

I hope I can get a photograph of the beautiful wooden “key of the kingdom” that someone in the parish had made. It showed great Scandinavian style craftsmanship. Fr. David uses it as an object lesson for children. Yesterday he was going to use it in the 11 AM Mass, which was to be a children’s Mass. Even though his homily was mainly designed for children, I thought it was very appropriate for adults as well. 

Of course, I love object lessons anyway. 

Fr. David talked about how it would make no sense for him to try to persevere in the kind of wood working that was required to make the key. He would barely even know how to begin the work let alone how to persevere to its completion.

He believes that God wants him to persevere in contemplative prayer and his service to God as a priest. That is his area of struggle as well. Sometimes it is easy, and other times it is difficult. Sometimes all goes well, and other times there are failures. 

Others have different gifts where perseverance is needed.  

It was a good reminder that not everyone has to be good at everything. At the same time, everyone has gifts that need to be developed. Each of us needs to persevere. 

We rely on God’s grace in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us strength. 

To illustrate this, Fr. David used a basketball. The object lesson was designed for children, but it works with adults as well. 

He pointed out that the basketball is imperfect, even though it is well made. It is not a perfect sphere. Even so, he had learned how to make it spin on his index finger much like the Harlem Globe Trotters do in their exhibition games. 

It was kind of impressive, because he really can do it. Eventually, though, because of the imperfections in the ball and in his own finger, the ball would fall - and it did. So, what did he do?  He tried again and got the ball spinning again. 

That is very much like our lives as Christians. Because of our imperfections we eventually fall for one reason or another. We get discouraged or lazy or sloppy and then stumble and even fall into sin. What do we do?  We get up and continue on. We persevere if we really do love God. 

He pushes us onward and upward. 

I thought that these 2 object lessons were great. I don’t think I could do the basketball trick, but maybe a top would work instead. It would go well for any children’s group - or even adult. 

Fr. David also explained how Luke 18:1-8 passage would be understood by Jesus’ audience in this way. Everyone in the community would have witnessed this exchange between the widow and the dishonest judge. They were all watching to see what the judge would do. In fact, it was likely that they encouraged her in her efforts to get justice. 

The Exodus passage also shows how the battle involved more in the community than just the soldiers. Moses did not go into battle, but he held his arms up the whole time. Others helped him keep his arms up. This is generally understood much like the story of the widow and the dishonest judge as an example of perseverance in prayer as a community, in communion with all the saints. 

The 2 Timothy selection emphasizes the patience, love, endurance, steadfastness, and faith that were Paul’s aim in life. They should be our aim as well, along with persistence. 

We need those qualities in our lives now as much or more than ever. 

Gospel Lk 18:1-8Jesus told his disciples a parableabout the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain townwho neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering meI shall deliver a just decision for herlest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen oneswho call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”