I Recommend Prayer!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Sunday October 20, 2019

“Prayer is the key, prayer is the key, prayer is the master key. Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer, prayer is the master key.”

I grew up in Nigeria singing the song above. During family prayers, I joined in singing it. During Mass, fellowship, and other prayer meetings in the church, I sang along with others. It’s a common song in Nigeria that communicates three things: one, the vital importance of prayer; two, the fact that Jesus prayed from the beginning of his earthly ministry till the end; three, that as his disciples we should pray at all times like he did.

Friends, the central theme that runs through the readings today is prayer. The first reading taken from the Book of Exodus highlights the power and efficacy of prayer. After a certain nation, Amalek, declared war against Israel, Moses asked Joshua to take some men from the land and go out and engage Amalek in battle. He promised that he, Moses, will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. When the war began, Moses went with Aaron and Hur to the top of the hill. Now, as long as Moses kept his hands raised up (a symbol of prayer), Israel was winning. But whenever he lets his hands rest, the Amalekites were winning. With the passage of time, Moses became tired of keeping his hands raised. So, Aaron and Hur quickly put a stone in place for him to sit. After that they held and supported his hands, one on the left and the other on the right. With this, Moses’ hands were constantly raised till sunset leading to an overwhelming defeat of Amalek and a resounding victory for the Israel. 

No one goes through life without an encounter with difficult times. It’s either they come to us or we dabble into them. When it happens, depending on what the nature of the problem is, we seek for solutions. The message from the first reading and Gospel is that we include prayer as part of the solutions. So, if you are going through a quarter-life, mid-life or end-of-life crisis, I recommend prayer to you. Did you experience a heart-wrenching breakup from a relationship you invested so much into? I recommend prayer as part of your healing solution. Are you yet to recover from a painful divorce? I recommend prayer.  Did you lately experience failure in a project you worked so hard for? Why not try prayer? Did you suddenly lose a job you expected to be in till retirement? I recommend to prayer to you. Are you going through grief due to loss of a loved one or loss something very important to you? I recommend prayer to you. Are you one of those, like me who struggle with change? I recommend prayer to you. Change is always a hard thing to accept. In 2015, all the priests in this parish that many of you had got used to were transferred at the same time. Then four years later, what happened in 2015 happened again. I can understand if you are angry and frustrated by this constant change. But rather than take your anger on me or the other priests who were newly assigned here, I recommend prayer to you. Believe me, coming here was very difficult for me— not because the people of Minnesota are not wonderful people, but due to the weather. Left to me, I will rather stay in California. Just as you don’t determine the priests that serve you, I don’t determine the people I serve or where I go. If you are feeling frustrated by any kind of change, by the constant change around you, remember my recommendation— prayer. If you go to your doctor, he might recommend a medicine, an anti-depressant. But for me, I recommend prayer. Pray at all times and for different reasons and for different situations. If you are tired of praying, ask others to pray for you. Book Masses. Whenever I look at the Mass intentions, it is mostly for our departed loved ones. As you book Masses for your loved ones, remember to book Masses for your own intentions. If you are tired of praying just as Moses was, ask others to pray for you. Request for Masses for a private intention. The Mass is the highest form of prayer. 

Now, while we pray during difficult times, Jesus also urges us to pray at all times— good and bad times. Today’s Gospel taken from Luke 18:1-8 is about the necessity to pray always without becoming tired. It is also about persistence in prayer. Like the unnamed widow in the Gospel, we should never give up the habit of praying. We should pray in season and out of season whether our requests are granted or not. Prayer of asking and making request is just one type of prayer. There is also prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, love and contrition. Prayer is the key and the master key because it connects us to God. It helps us remain in God. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit.” If you want to remain in the Son of God; if you want to be a good fruit bearing Christian, then pray frequently. Pray at all times because your salvation partly depends on it. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks us to “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says,” but I also want us to pay attention to what the Lord himself says at the end of this Gospel, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” If we give up praying simply because our intentions were not granted exactly as we prayed, he will not find faith on earth. If we stop praying just because we have everything we want in life and don’t see or have a need to pray, he will not find faith on earth. If we give up praying because we don’t have the time, he will not find faith on earth. If we don’t pray because we are tired, he will not find faith on earth. If we leave prayer to feelings and convenience, he will not find faith on earth. If you don’t pray just because you are angry and upset with God, then Jesus will not find faith on earth. If you don’t pray because you are disappointed with the Church leaders or with someone associated with the Church, Jesus will not find faith on earth. If we only pray verbally but not attitudinally, he will not find faith on earth. Our life should be a life of prayer and we should live like people who pray. Whatever your situation may be now, remember prayer. That’s my prescription for you.