Never losing heart

Then Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart... (Luke 18:1)

Yesterday's Gospel reminded us of the need to persevere and be resilient in prayer; to persist, like the widow, with faith and hope, trust and unshakeable commitment, even - especially - in times of aridity and darkness. But I was especially struck by the fact that Jesus wanted his disciples to never lose heart... The widow's persistent pestering was in the pursuit of truth, and of justice and what was right, in the face of a seemingly immovable, unjust judge. And that constant, unwavering, passionate pursuit is the reality for so many people of faith and goodwill, across the world: a pursuit of peace, and of respect for human dignity; of fairness and equality, and an end to violence, scapegoating and intolerance. 

But it can be so hard not to lose heart! It can be hard, in the face of our world's increasing darkness and hatred's apparent ascendancy, to hold on to memories of love's and justice's triumphs: the end of apartheid, for example, or the fall of the Berlin wall, which are still within recent memory - and more distant reforms, such as universal suffrage, or the abolition of slavery... Each one brought about by constant, determined and often costly campaigning... Each one an echo of that greatest triumph of all: Love's timeless, all-conquering victory over hatred and death, which underlies and permeates our every day and our every reality, offering us the sureness of hope, and a basis for not losing heart. 

Today, in Sacred Heart schools and communities across the world we celebrate the feast of Mater Admirabilis - Jesus' Admirable Mother. And today, as I reflect on never losing heart, Mary reminds me that before the joy and the glory of the Resurrection, she stood at the foot of the Cross, watching her beloved Son's brutal, protracted execution - just as she continues to stand at the foot of countless crosses, alongside everyone who feels their hope and their promise draining away. Just as she continues to stand alongside those who are oppressed and anguished, joining her own prayer to theirs, to the God who casts down the mighty, raises the lowly and fills the hungry with good things (cf the Magnificat, Luke 1: 46-55). Our Constitutions tell us that Mary, woman of faith among the people of God, lives close to us, as she does to everything that radiates the life of her Son... and that surely includes the constant pursuit of peace and truth and justice, and the victory of unbounded, all-embracing love!

Happy feast of Mater to you all! What can Mary teach you today about prayer, perseverance and never losing heart...?