From The Bishop

In the Gospel for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus offers some practical advice when he tells the disciples to pray always and not to lose heart (Lk18:1). This is not always easy to do for various reasons. In the First Reading from The Book of Exodus, we are presented with a rather interesting image of Moses on top of a hill with hands outstretched while Joshua and the Israelites battle Amalek and his army. As long as his hands remained high the Israelites have the advantage. When they were lowered, Amalek prevailed. Moses grew weary, sat down, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands until Joshua was victorious. This passage offers an important truth. When we find it difficult to pray there are others who help by praying for us. They spiritually “lift up our hands” when we are weary or distracted in our own prayer life. This is why Contemplative Orders of both men and women are so important for the life of the Church. Some see no value in this form of Religious Life. They believe that members of these Communities run away from the world and do nothing useful as they pray all day. This opinion is uninformed and leads to the wrong conclusion. From their secluded place Contemplative Orders do great things for the world. St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun, is an example of this. Despite her hidden life (she never left the monastery in Lisieux), after her death she was named a co-patron of the Missions together with St. Francis Xavier. She supported missionaries in the world with her prayers. We call this “Intercessory Prayer” and it is an essential part of the life of the Church. We see it not only in monasteries, but also in our homes, parishes, and schools. We are called to pray for others. So when we are weary and not praying as much as we should, let us take comfort in knowing that there are many others praying for us. Do not lose heart!