R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'”
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?”

In today’s Sacred Gospel account, Jesus uses a parable to teach His disciples the importance of incessant prayer; praying constantly. It is through prayer that we open ourselves more fully to becoming aware of and acting upon God’s will for our lives. Prayer increases our faith and trust in God’s providential plan for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world. 

There is something quite interesting in the parable of the dishonest judge and the widow who persisted in her demand for the judge to render a just decision in her favor. For years the corrupt judge rendered unjust decisions. In other words, he twisted the law and distorted the truth. Only God knows the last time he had he rendered an honest and fair decision for anyone for, according to the parable, he had lost respect for any human being. In short, the dishonest judge was living a life of lies and deceit. 

Yet, because of the tenacity of the widow, he finally renders a just decision in her favor. A hardened and corrupt individual had come to his senses. Persistence pays off. 

Jesus directs His disciples to “pray always without becoming weary.” And, as followers of Christ, we also are to heed His teaching. 

Prayer is not a “one and done”, a quick fix, but rather a way of life. It is not a singular action but a constant line of communication between us and God; between God and us. Our actions reflect our relationship with God and also with one another. Prayer is an action; an action that serves as a way to communicate with God; God who knows all;  God who sees all; and God who understands all.

The word “acts” spelled A, C, T, S, serves as an acronym for a balanced prayer life. 

The A stands for Adoration. Our first prayerful action should be to adore the Lord. Our prayer should begin with thoughts and words of adoration and praise to God. We praise God because God Is; God Is. For centuries the Church has prayed the Te Deum which states, “You are God: we praise You; You are the Lord: we acclaim You; You are the eternal Father: all creation worships You. If these words are foreign to you, just think of the text when we sing the song “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.”

The next letter in the word acts is C which stands for contrition. After adoring God, we offer our heartfelt contrition for the times we have turned from Him through sinful thoughts, sinful words, or sinful actions. 

Next comes the letter T which stands for the word thanksgiving. Even though we are sinful, we thank God for all that He has given us. We thank Him for our life, our soul, and, even in our human weakness, we thank Him for His unconditional love for each of us. Most especially, we thank Him for sending His Son to redeem us and unite us once again with God the Father.

Lastly comes S, which stands for supplication. In this type of prayer, we ask God to assist us. Most often many of us ask for specific temporal needs. Whatever the need, we ask God to help us. 

It’s interesting that quite often our prayers begin with that last letter – S – for supplication; Dear God, I need this; Dear God, I need Your help; Dear God, will you please do this for me? Can you grant this? Supplication; supplication. Supplication is a good thing but as we storm God with our wants and needs. Might I suggest we take time to also do the A, the C, and the T. Let us balance our supplication with Adoration; with Contrition; and  with Thanksgiving. First, let us adore the Lord. Consider coming before Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament just for the sake of adoring Him. Once that is accomplished, tell Him how sorry you are and thank Him for all He has given you. 

You have the opportunity to come into the presence of our Eucharistic Lord through the Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration. During that time the Eucharist is exposed six days a week at various times of the day and early evening for your personal adoration. The days and times are listed in the bulletin.

In addition, each Friday a communal Holy Hour is prayed in the Basilica Church at the 3:00 hour. A great deal of that prayer time is spent adoring Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, offering our heartfelt contrition; thanking Him for all that He has given us and in supplication for our temporal and spiritual needs. Remember, even before we voice our needs God knows what we need. I offer this personal invitation to come and adore the Lord as we pray with and for one another. 

Our personal prayer must be persistent. Today’s first reading emphasizes the importance of prayer, especially in times of trial. It also affirms that our persistent prayer is supported by others who we can call our prayer partners. 

When it seems that life is closing in on us; when we are overwhelmed by sadness, sickness, disappointment, or rejection, we are not helpless; we have prayer.

Prayer is our most intimate communication with God. In our prayer we can bring our entire being; our entire interior self into the consoling Heart of Jesus. He is the only one who can fully understand our struggles; our temptations; our brokenness. He is the only one who can continue to love us when we feel abandoned by those from whom we seek love.

Yes, persistence pays off. Through faith and the power of prayer, we experience God’s love and assistance in every moment of our lives. 

So, I ask you; next time we pray, let’s start with adoring the Lord, ask Him for forgiveness; thank Him for all that He has given us; then save for last that which we think we need because God knows our every need. 

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
“Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle.
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand.”
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses’hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on.
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

R.(cf. 2)  Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.