I want to share a story with you from my early childhood, one that will shed some modern day light on today’s Gospel from St. Luke about being persistent in prayer.
Many times when we go shopping at various stores, outlets, and malls we can’t help but to notice that young children will nag at their parents to get them what they like. Children will remain persistent until either two things happen, 1) they get what want or 2) they get a reprimand or scolding.
Like me all of you may have had this experience when you were young and many of you have also experienced it as parents. I remember one such event that stands out in my own life. It was a trip to Toy’s R Us. I don’t remember exactly what for, but once I knew I was going along it was like I died and went to heaven.
I was about 9 or 10 ten years old at the time and I wanted a better bike, I had a long seat Schwinn or Huffy and it was time for a nice motor cross chrome molly mongoose with alloy spikes, forks, and the whole nine. You can tell I was into bikes. Well, we got to the store and I couldn’t sit still. It seemed like forever by the time we got to the bikes. That is when I began my little spiel for the bike. My mother was not ready to go there and she said, “Not now, maybe for your birthday.” “But ma,” I said, “All the kids have better bikes, mine is old and I like this bike.” “Not now,” she said. Not good enough for me, I wanted that bike so I started to lay the old fashioned kid’s guilt trip on the parents trick, for instance, “My friend's parents get them bikes, why don’t you get me one?, etc. etc.”
At this point I will either get the bike or get a scolding and sharp reprimand. Well it was the sharp reprimand, but the seed of guilt worked. I did not get the bike that day. And for a kid everything rests in the moment, no bike equaled an eternity of misery. But I did get the bike, a couple of weeks later. My mom went to get it and surprised me. Boy was I a happy camper. I loved the bike and rode it everywhere and showed it off to everyone.
Well, not two weeks into having the bike I rode it to the local hangout, a deli-arcade to meet up with some friends. I left the bike unattended for just a few moments and that’s all it took for someone to get on it and steal it. You can imagine what I felt like when I came out of the arcade. I was devastated. My mom called the cops and they kept an out for my bike, but never found it. I was miserable, because now I had no bike; we gave away or threw out the old one.
I remember praying that God help me find the bike because I wanted nothing more than that bike. I prayed and I prayed, day and night, the same way I nagged at my mother, I now nagged at God. About two weeks went by and still no bike, no answer to my prayers. I remember going to the park one day and still being sad. There was camp going on and some kids were playing basketball, a sport I really had no interest in, never even really shot a basketball before then, just baseball up until then. So, I went and checked out a basketball from the camp house and went to shoot around to kill some time. As I began to shoot around I began to be more enthralled with the ball and the rim. I wound up staying for a couple of hours shooting from all directions trying to figure out the best way for the ball to go in the hoop.
After that day I began to play more and more and became obsessed a little with the game spending hours every day practicing and playing. I forgot all about the bike and many years later I realized that my persistence in prayer was answered by God, maybe not exactly as I wished, but in a way that was better for me than having a bike.
Basketball did wonders for me, it taught me discipline, character, team work. It brought me to teaching, coaching, and touching many young people’s lives through a simple kid’s game. Prayers are answered, we just have to listen and we also have to remain persistent in our asking.
There are two lessons to my story and the Gospel, they are the same. One) we must have total reliance on God. Both the widow and I could not procure what we wanted on our own, I needed my mother to get the bike and the widow needed the judge to deliver a decision regarding her case. The same goes for our needs in life, we need God totally and in every way. Once we think we can begin to store up things on our own is when life comes crashing down on us. Two) we must never give up asking for what we need, though we must be open to a different answer. In my case the bike was not as important as basketball and even though I prayed hard for the bike, God answered differently.
God will answer us when we ask questions of Him. He will answer, but we need the faith and an open heart to say yes to the answer he gives. God answered the widow with a just decision, he answered a little boy with a basketball, and I know He also answers your prayers, how do I know this, well very simply, you are here and you are praying right now. God bless you.
Fr. John Picinic
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