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| Me on the High Rope Challenge |
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 133:1-3, 6-8
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13
For the past few days I have been
with eight families from our parish on a trip to north Georgia. In the span of
just a couple of days we went whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River, went to an
Atlanta Braves baseball game and did a ropes challenge course at the state park
where we were staying. Everyone loved the trip because it was time spent
together as families doing some exciting activities. The one that in my opinion
was most fruitful was the ropes challenge course. It began by splitting us into
two groups of eleven. The group I was in took a little walk and arrived at the
first challenge: a fifteen foot ladder set up on a tree which led to fifteen
feet of large staples in the tree, at the top of which was a pole – like
utility pole – connecting that tree to another tree about twenty feet away. I
have to be honest when I was in the middle of the pole my legs were shaking so
bad the whole pole was shaking with me. I passed, but barely. We had other
challenges – lining up on a log and getting in birthday order without speaking
or falling off the log, having our whole team walk a cable connected to several
trees without falling off, and using a rope swing to move our team and a bucket
of water from one bucket to another as a team. The most important, to me, was
the spider web. It was a section about seven feet tall and twelve feet wide
with ropes all interconnected. The guide then said that we had to get our whole
team from one side to the other without touching the ropes and we could use
each of the holes in the ‘web’ only once. This required us to pick people up
over our heads to be able to complete the course. The challenges were a lot of
fun but what impressed me most as that at the end of each one we were asked
‘what did you learn?’ As a group we learned many things – reliance upon one
another, recognition of our gifts and not being concerned about being the weak
link, following directions, flexibility in planning, communication, being
accountable for our own faults, and persistence.
As I reflected on those things
they seemed to me not only great attributes in team building but attributes of
what we are called to be and recognize in the Church community. We all have to
rely upon one another to be able to accomplish anything. When we strove to be
individuals we failed in our goals, but when we each exercised our own gifts we
were able to accomplish the tasks before us. Sometimes we were the strong link,
other times not so much. And it didn’t matter whether we were short or tall,
younger or older, male or female. All were able to put their gift to work in
some aspect for the good of the whole group. We communicated with one another
and built our trust. We had to listen to our guide and follow directions. But
the most important things were the accountability. When we were passing through
the web and passing others through it, the guide would ask after they went
through whether we had touched the rope or not. She wasn’t going to hold us
accountable, it had to be us. We had to own up to things. And when we did that,
the joy was that much greater. But most important above all was our
persistence. If we had just given up on a particular goal then we wouldn’t have
learned the other things along the way. We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to
grow as individuals and as a group and to rejoice together in the victories
that we had attained. And that is what Our Lord Jesus challenges us to today –
persistence.
In the Gospel passage we hear
Luke’s translation of the Our Father given to the disciples and the call
afterward to persist in prayer to the Father. He challenges us to be
almost annoying in our
persistence, – if the friend doesn’t give us bread because of friendship he
will surely give it from our persistence. Ask, seek, knock. We must be
persistent. Not because God doesn’t want to bless us. Indeed He does! After
all, Jesus also speaks of the reality of the Father in Heaven wanting to give
good things to His children, and even the best thing in the Holy Spirit. God
wants to bless us, but He also knows that if we instantly got everything we
wanted when we prayed for it that we would quickly become spoiled and that we
wouldn’t really have a relationship with a Father so much as a connection with
a gift-giver. The persistence that we are called to exhibit in our prayer is
not for Him but for us. We need it to strengthen us, to help us value the gifts
that we receive and to draw us into relationship with the Father wherein He can
bless us even in the ways which we cannot yet conceive.
What’s more is that this persistence
is not just in our prayer but in the whole of our lives. The Christian life is
not easy. If we think being a Christian is easy, then we’ve failed to truly
live the Christian faith. The call to holiness which all of us have received
requires us to endure trials, to detach ourselves from the things of this
world, and to strive for virtuous living. These are not easy things and yet we
are called to them. St. Peter reminds us though that these activities are not
in vain but recalls that for those who endure, who persist in this path, we
will be saved. We will claim the victory and glory in the gift of eternal life
with all of the angels and saints. But we must persist. We must be intentional
or all will be lost, including our souls and that would be a great loss indeed.
I want to conclude this homily by
quoting a bit from our Holy Father who is currently with over three million
youth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the World Youth Day celebrations. Think
about that for a second – three million youth, three million whose faith is
being kindled anew to take back to their homes and share with others. I beg you
to pray for them and for all youth throughout the world that they may truly be
able to come alive in the faith of Jesus Christ and share it with all whom they
meet. So, I share these words spoken to them and to all the world. They have
encouraged me in my own persistence in my vocation and my faith, and I pray
that they might be of some encouragement to you as well.
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| Just 3.2 Million people at World Youth Day... no big deal... |
These are the words of Pope Francis and to each of us
he says this: "Today, I would like each
of us to ask sincerely: in whom do we place our trust? In ourselves, in
material things, or in Jesus? We are all tempted to put ourselves at the
centre, to think that we alone build our lives or that our life can only be
happy if built on possessions, money, or power. But it is not so. Certainly,
possessions, money and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being
happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want to have more,
never satisfied. “Put on Christ” in your life, place your trust in him and you
will never be disappointed!"
And in another place: "Dear
friends, I wish to say to each of you, but especially to all those others who
have not had the courage to embark on our journey: You have to want to stand
up; this is the indispensible condition! You will find an outstretched hand
ready to help you, but no one is able to stand up in your place. But you are
never alone! The Church and so many people are close to you. Look ahead with
confidence."
And again: "To
you and to all, I repeat: never yield to discouragement, do not lose trust, do
not allow your hope to be extinguished. Situations can change, people can
change. Be the first to seek to bring good, do not grow accustomed to evil, but
defeat it. The Church is with you, bringing you the precious good of faith,
bringing Jesus Christ, who “came that they may have life and have it abundantly”.”
And lastly: "Dear friends, we have come to knock at
the door of Mary’s house. She has opened it for us, she has let us in and she
shows us her Son. Now she asks us to “do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Yes,
dear Mother, we are committed to doing whatever Jesus tells us! And we will do
it with hope, trusting in God’s surprises and full of joy. Amen."
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