You might remember that in my sermon two weeks ago I told you the story of how I had tried to move the eucalyptus tree to improve visibility at St Joseph’s car park in darkness. This was in reference to Jesus’ schooling on faith and replanting mulberry trees. You might also remember that my attempt at moving the eucalyptus tree by the power of faith had not been successful and one of the three possible reasons for that failure could have been insufficient faith on my side. Funnily enough, after evening Mass that Sunday some of my parishioners questioned the veracity of that story because none of the existing trees blocked out the light from the street. They assumed that because I had failed, the tree should have been there; or that the whole story must have been made up. Well, I showed them where the eucalyptus tree used to be and it was truly and irreversibly gone. So, how did I eventually manage to get rid of that tree?
In today’s gospel, Jesus told a parable about how persistence in prayer is important. The widow – in ancient Jewish society, pretty much powerless and inferior – managed to get the judge to act purely by the power of pestering him. He gave her what she had rightly demanded from him, not out of the goodness of his heart nor because he had owned up to his biased treatment of her. The only reason for the judge to act was to regain his tranquil and comfortable life. Then Jesus used the “contrast and compare” method to present God’s benevolence and willingness to answer our prayers and come to the help of those who ask for it. However, Jesus recognised that such a response might not be immediate: “Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them?” Why would God delay helping those who cry for help?
As a modern Western society, we are pretty much spoilt for a variety of comforts, conveniences and amenities. Most of them are at our fingertips; often literally, thanks to smartphones or other “smart” devices connected to the Internet. Not that long ago, if I wanted to watch a film, I had to rent a DVD, wait for it to drop through my letterbox and then return it within a few days, regardless of whether I’d watched it or not. These days I have already lost count of how many online services are available, not to mention that sifting through their endless offering makes it virtually impossible to find anything interesting to watch. Paradoxically, spoilt for choice, I watch much fewer films than I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a grumpy old man, nostalgic for the past golden era. But those wonderful inventions that make our lives easier in so many ways, also have unintended consequences and some of them are quite detrimental. Patience seems to be one of those personal qualities in short supply because we’ve got so used to getting whatever we want right here, right now. Nowadays, when shopping online, the delivery time can be and often is a deciding factor in favour of selecting one item over the other. A well-known online retailer has made an attractive virtue of superfast delivery – as long as you subscribe to its scheme. Guilty as charged… Of course, there are situations when we need things fast. But there also are many situations when pouring cold water on some ideas can be extremely beneficial, if only to avoid buyer’s regret…
As I have said many times, the purpose of prayer isn’t to inform God of our needs; even less to tell Him what must be done to sort out our troubles. Jesus told us to be persistent in prayer not in order to convince God of our ideas or to bend God’s will to ours. There’s nothing you can tell Him that He doesn’t already know. So, when you pray and tell God of your life and its troubles, your needs and desires, your expectations, plans and disappointments, you name them for yourself. The blur of everyday hustle and bustle gets sharp when you stop the chase and pray. There are a number of reasons why God doesn’t instantly grant your wish in the exact way you expected it. Sometimes it might be to prevent you from harm, like responsible parents who don’t hand a loaded gun to their children just because they want to play with it. Sometimes it’s the way God leads you to a better understanding or to mature. In the book of the prophet Isaiah God told us: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (55-8-9) When you persist in your prayer, you will eventually comprehend God’s thoughts and ways: “surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Back to the eucalyptus tree that used to cast its long shadow over St Joseph’s car park. Its disappearance had nothing to do with persistent prayers as instructed in today’s gospel. I used the chainsaw.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay