When the Son of Man Comes
“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” These are the closing words from today’s Gospel taken from Luke 18: 1-8. What is Jesus saying to us when asking such a question? In order to answer, a look at today’s readings might be helpful. I chose to reflect on this particular Scripture, because it speaks to something very fundamental in the life of all who call themselves Christian. The Scriptures today force us to look at ourselves and the world in which we live as we seek to answer Jesus’ question. The Scriptures today call us to evaluate our own prayer life and the intimacy of our relationship with God.
In the first reading today from the Old Testament book of Exodus, Moses has ordered Joshua to go up against Amalek in battle. Amalek was a nation that was a staunch enemy of the Israelites. If we take a closer look at this reading, we also see that Moses acts as intercessor for Joshua and the troops. He basically says I will pray for you. He does this by taking the staff of God in his hand and holding it up. As he does, Joshua has the battle going in his favor. He is, in a very real way, offering up an intercessory prayer that Joshua will be victorious. But the longer he held up the staff, the more he strained to continue to do so. With the help of others, he is able to continue to intercede on behalf of the Israelites and they win the battle.
Have you ever found yourself feeling like you just can’t pray anymore for a given situation? Don’t keep this feeling to yourself. Allow others to intercede for you, asking that the grace of God will invigorate your prayer making it possible for you to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess 5:17)
Now to the question Jesus asked about finding faith on earth when He returns. Unless you are one who has their head buried in the sand, completely unaware of the sad state of the world due to greed, prejudice, materialism, and much more, you should realize the trouble we are in. You should realize the necessity of nurturing the seed of faith God has planted in each of us. And that seed of faith must be convicting you and I to persist in prayer, asking God to help each of us work to right all that is wrong in the world. There are only two possible answers to Jesus’ question, “when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth?” Will He find you and I as people of persistent prayer, or simply those who have their heads buried in the sand?
Deacon John Murrell