Why pray? | Strengthening family unity
Saint Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews uses the metaphor of running the race of life to Heaven. Way back in the 70’s not many adults ran or jogged in races, that is until marathon runners like Bill Rogers and Jim Fix made it popular for everyday people of all ages to go out for a jog or run.
I was a young teenager when this was going on and because my family was into playing and attending sports, we used to attend the Boston Marathon each spring up on heart-break hill, the most challenging part of the course.
Along with hundreds of people we would cheer on not only the elite runners but those in the middle and the back of the pack, urging them to keep going and not give up—that they could do it. It was a good lesson that left an indelible impression on my young mind that it takes both encouragement and perseverance to run the race to the finish line.
In addition to Saint Paul speaking of the “cloud of witnesses” that urges us on in this race of life, he also urges us to “…rid of ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us.”
He goes on to tell us to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the leader and perfecter of faith.”
Not long after attending one of those marathons I, like many of my age group, was in that in-between phase of maturing and while moping around one evening my mother suggested that I go for a jog to clear my head. She also reminded me that I had inherited the genes of runners.
And, so off I went, having never run further than a hundred-yard dash, along the bicycle trail along Wollaston Beach. I probably only went just more than a half mile round trip, but the experience was uplifting. I had no idea what I was doing, only that even though I was plodding along I was glad to be a jogger.
One night while I was slowly chugging along wearing my basketball sneakers, a guy who was a real runner slowed down and said, “Hey pal, you ought to get some running sneakers.” I went home deflated and irritated. I took it as an insult for my lack of speed.
But my Mom saw it in a different light and found a great deal on some blue and gold Nike running shoes, my first pair.
Yesterday, Fr. Boby talked about how Jesus can unburden us from our sins and discouragement, how he can free us. The first time I went out with those new running shoes I felt like I could run like Bill Rogers. They were so light and the shape of the shoe and cushion propelled me forward. As I fell into a routine of running every morning before school, I learned to concentrate on the what I was doing, where I was going and how it was going. I learned to get into a rhythm and to focus on a point of reference in the distance that kept me on track.
My brothers and sisters, we hear in today’s gospel two people who fixed their eyes upon Jesus. The synagogue official and the woman who had been ill for twelve years. Both had reached the point of knowing that Jesus was their only hope. They centered all of their efforts on not just knowing about Jesus but by making contact with Him and asking Him to help.
Like me your running days may be in the past, but all of us are pilgrims in this life, and the miles are replaced by days, months, and years. Each one marking a point of reference in our journey’s. There is a cloud of witnesses that cheer us on in the Saints. And, like switching from basketball sneakers to running shoes letting go of our burdens and seeking forgiveness for our sins lightens us to move more freely in this journey with Jesus.
May we learn to run every day with Jesus and may we encourage others to persevere—to follow the perfect pace setter and guide…always keeping our eyes fixed on Him and the finish line.
Reverend David S. Marcham is the Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, and Director of the Father Peyton Guild, whose members pray for Father Peyton’s beatification and spread his message of the importance of Family Prayer. Prior to becoming a seminarian, Father David was a physical therapist and clinical instructor, serving hospital inpatients and outpatients throughout the greater Boston area for eleven years. In 1998 he heard the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2005. Father David grew up in Quincy, MA, and has fond memories of playing soccer, tennis and running track. You’re never without a friend when Father David is around, as he welcomes everyone into his circle with a smile on his face!
