Heavy Lifting
"Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need
to pray always and not lose heart" Luke 18.1
Luke18.1-8
There are so many profound moments in the celebration of the Mass, but lately I've been reflecting on the words we pray at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer:
P: The Lord be with you
R: And with your spirit.
P: Lift up your hearts
R:We lift them up to the Lord
P:Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
R: It is right and just.
Why do we begin this part of the Mass in this way? I think it can be best explained through a careful look at today's Gospel reading. Jesus tells the disciples a parable about a persistent widow and a wicked judge, "who neither feared God nor had respect for any human being." It's a parable of grand contrast, not only the contrast between an evil judge who has everything, and a poor widow who has nothing, but a contrast between that same judge and God the Father.
Jesus loves those kinds of grand contrasts.
Earlier in Luke, Jesus exhorts his followers to be persistent in prayer:"Is there any among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?" (Luke 11.11-12) 
Here's the problem for most of us:
WE LOSE HEART
Our prayers are not being heard. God must be too busy for us. We pray everyday and nothing changes.
The problem is not with God. The problem is with us.
Imagine for a moment that a parent comes home from work every day, and every day, their teenager asks for money.
Right off the bat.
No "Hello, how was your day," etc.
You would say there was something seriously wrong with the relationship.
Our prayer lives can be like that.
That is what I think Jesus is getting at, and how we miss the point of this Gospel passage, and the point of prayer.
For teenagers and infants, "it's all about Me"
The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums it up nicely:
"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God, or the requesting of good things from God" But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? (CCC 2559)
Look at the words at the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer again:
LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS
WE LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD
The persistence in prayer that Jesus asks of us is to persist in letting go, to surrender our selfishness and ego. Persist in lifting a changed heart.
That is heavy lifting.
But we give thanks for it.
Because it is right and just.
For this week...
It's being called "Pope Francis' Five Finger Prayer", but it's been around in various forms for a while. Teach it to your kids, yourself, and those who could benefit from persistent prayer...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yimcatholic/2013/09/too-cool-not-to-share-pope-franciss-five-finger-prayer.html
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