Will He Find Faith

Will He Find Faith

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Piety

Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters, especially for strangers; they have testified to your love before the Church. Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey. 2 John 5-6

The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who 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?"  Luke 18:6-8

Study

The parable of the Persistent Widow always reminds me of the expression, “Pray without ceasing” or as Luke writes today “…pray always without becoming weary…”

What are the two other things we do without stopping?  While there may be many answers, in particular, I am thinking about a heart beating and lungs breathing. As I was learning centering prayer from Jim and Diane Bayne as well as from recordings of the late Fr. Thomas Keating, CSSC, the approach they advocated was to put yourself in the presence of God and make prayer a part of your very being.  Those techniques were meant to be concentrated on for 15-20 minutes (not 24/7/365 like breathing and beating).

In addition to making prayer a natural extension of your being, the posture that you assume when you pray must also lend itself to making your “conversation” with God natural.  Recently, Fr. James Martin, SJ addressed this.

How do you pray?  By that I don’t mean what kind of prayer do you do, but how do you pray physically?  Do you kneel? Sit? Lie down? That’s something that’s often overlooked by spiritual writers but posture in prayer is very important.  Of course, plenty of people pay while they’re walking or running, but let’s talk about those of us who pray by being still.

One of the most helpful aids to prayer is finding a stance that is physically comfortable. Now, of course, it can’t be perfect. There will always be something nagging at you physically—you might be sick with a sore throat or the flu or have pulled a muscle in your back, or even have a long-term physical ailment that hurts you.  So there is no position that is 100% comfortable, and God can be with you in your discomfort. But you can at least try to be as comfortable as possible.

It also helps to have a posture that reminds you that you’re in God’s presence.  For example, I like to sit while I pray, but sometimes I tend to slouch, and when I do I remind myself that if God were in the room with me, I’d sit up straight.  And God is indeed in the room. At the same time, try to find a way that isn’t too comfortable.  A young Jesuit once told me that he was having a hard time doing his Daily Examen at night because he kept falling asleep. So I asked him what his nightly routine was.  He said, “Well, I finish up my day, get changed into my pajamas and brush my teeth. Then I climb under the covers and start to pray.” I said, “You’re getting under the covers and doing your Daily Examen?”  He said yes. “Well, I think you might want to try praying before you actually go to bed.” It was an example of being too comfortable. Overall, try to find a good balance between reverence and comfort. God can encounter you no matter where you are, but part of prayer is making sure you’re in the right frame of mind.[i]

Action
What we pray

How we pray

The posture we take

All of these elements help to strengthen our prayer life and to make us receptive to the message of the day.  However, one more factor comes into play.  As Franciscan Friar Dan Horan says, “We might be too comfortable with Christianity. We know the stories, the punch lines. The gospel no longer unsettles us. We need to reboot to embrace the gospel anew.” 

Are you as persistent today in your prayer life as you have been in the past? What can you do to shake off the doldrums?  A new posture?  A new prayer?  A new routine?

We are called to be faithful in all we do.  When the Son of Man comes, will he find you at ease in your piety-study-action or stale and distracted?  “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?”

Our mission does not stop at our own door.  John’s letter also reminds us to serve others (especially the stranger). These days, that certainly takes many people out of their comfort zone.  But the Good News also should unsettle us.

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[i] https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/11/12/fr-james-martin-sj-importance-posture-prayer