PRAY ALWAYS!
INTRODUCTORY RITES
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But we are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Mark Twain’s character Huckleberry Finn once prayed for a fishing pole and hooks. When he got only the pole, he gave up on prayer. We may have the same experience: we pray for something; we don’t get it and we are tempted to give up on prayer. Today’s readings urge us to never give up on God and prayer. We ask for the grace to pray always.
Penitential Rite
L: For the moments we have given up on God and prayer, we ask his pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you ask us to pray always without becoming weary:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you ask us to have faith that God will bring justice to our world:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you give us an example of unceasing prayer and unwavering faith:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Lord,
tireless guardian of your people,
teach us to rely, day and night, on your care.
Support our prayer lest we grow weary.
Impel us to seek your enduring justice
and your ever-present help.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Exodus 17:8-13
Psalm Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Response Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Reading 2 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
Gospel Luke 18:1-8
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with the disciples when Jesus tells them the parable about the persistent widow. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear this parable?
Sunday Snippets
Perseverance is a trait that is admired in society. We have examples in daily life: Dipa Karmakar who, despite flat feet and flawed systems, came fourth at the Rio Olympics; APJ Abdul Kalam who overcame poverty to become India’s foremost scientist, missile man, and then our ninth President.
The first reading and the gospel seem to posit a link between perseverance and blessing: as long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight with Amalek (first reading); the widow’s persistence finally pays off (gospel).
There are two problems with this lesson!
First, we believe in a God who freely and unconditionally graces his people what they need. How can we assert that only when we pray hard enough, God will give us what we want?
Second, it could create guilt in some (and pride in others). When we don’t get that for which we prayed, does it mean we haven’t prayed enough or our faith is not deep enough? How can we tell a person who is terminally ill or who has lost a child; those in financial difficulty or in abusive households; those affected by hurricanes and floods… that they haven’t prayed enough?
Persevere and be blessed is not “good news”!
What is today’s good news? Read the first line of the gospel: “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.”
In the parable, Jesus contrasts God and the judge: if a corrupt judge renders justice because the plaintiff is persistent, how much more will our loving-caring God answer us? Jesus challenges us to pray always, trusting that God will act in his way and in his time to answer our petitions, not necessarily in the way we want.
In the first reading, we have the example of Moses who prayed always (despite becoming weary) while the Israelites battled the Amalekites.
We have examples in our time: Mother Teresa “prayed always” despite enduring spiritual despair and loneliness for nearly fifty years; Pope John Paul II “prayed always” though he suffered greatly because of Parkinson’s disease.
In moments of trial and tribulation, do I still trust God and pray without losing heart? Or do I abandon God and prayer when things don’t happen as I think they should?
We pray not because we have to beat a path to God’s door before he will open it, but because until we beat the path, maybe there’s no way of getting to our door (cf. Frederick Buechner).
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Could Moses have kept his hands raised (or “prayed constantly”) without the help of his companions? Can I relate to this story in any way? Can I let friends help me when I can’t manage by myself? Whom do I support spiritually?
Reading 2: What task does Paul lay on me in this reading? What instruction book does he give me to carry out the task? Is it “inconvenient” sometimes to proclaim the word of God by being patient and encouraging?
Gospel: What does Jesus’ injunction, “Pray always …” mean to me?
Why does God want us ‘to cry out day and night’ to the Lord? Doesn’t he already know our needs?
Have I ever given up on prayer? Why/ why not?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, the Lord invites us to pray insistently without giving up. Let us bring our prayers before our Father in heaven and pray with faith: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be persistent in prayer and attentive to God’s invitation to greater discipleship, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may turn the hearts of world leaders from violence and help them to take bold steps to promote peace and provide for the safety of the innocent, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who support us in our journey of faith; for family, friends, and fellow believers: that God may bless and renew them, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who are growing weary in seeking justice: that the Holy Spirit may give them strength and help them to persevere, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who are recovering from illness and natural disasters: that God may heal them, sustain their spirits, and guide them in restoring their lives, we pray to the Lord…
R: For greater stewardship: that all people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that God may sustain us as we encounter challenges and keep us faithful to the virtues of the Gospel in our decisions and actions, we pray…
L: God our Father, you do not resist our prayer when we have full trust in you. Let the Holy Spirit, here among us, prompt us to pray trustingly and insistently. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
your staff was too much for Moses.
His arms became weary.
Aaron and Hur held those hands up until sunset.
Lord,
when hope, energy and prayer wane,
let Aaron or Hur—or any friend—support me.
And let me support my loved ones.
Help us endure through your friends.
Let us pray always and remain steadfast in hope
that you will bring justice and peace in our lives.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God,
we know that you are our loving Father,
and that you are attentive to us
every moment of our lives.
Let our prayer come to you
as a cry of trust.
Give us what we really need
and keep our trust alive
that you are good and loving.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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