Blessed be God.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.
And we pray: Come, Holy Spirit—fill us with joy, set our hearts ablaze with your presence.
Next week, I’ll be at the annual deacons’ retreat—a sacred time of communion with brother deacons from the Dioceses of Shreveport and Alexandria. Some of these men I’ve known since high school. In them, faith and prayer come alive. Their witness strengthens their communities and renews the Church.
Jesus speaks plainly today: “Pray always without becoming weary.”
This isn’t just advice—it’s a spiritual imperative. A command rooted in love. A call to endurance in a world that wears us down.
As this week comes to a close, I find myself praying for my brother deacons, for all ministers of the Gospel, and for each of you. That your faith may be persistent. That you may not grow weary. That when the Son of Man comes, He will find faith—in your homes, in your hearts, and in our Church.
Jesus gives us the image of a widow—vulnerable, ignored, yet unrelenting. She keeps knocking. She keeps asking. She refuses to be dismissed.
This is the kind of prayer Jesus calls us to. Not polite, passive prayer—but persistent, faithful, inconvenient prayer. Prayer that stands its ground when the world pushes back.
St. Paul echoes this in his letter to Timothy: “Be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient.”
And let’s be honest—faith is inconvenient for many today.
There are Catholics who say, “I believe in God, but not in the Church.”
“I love Jesus, but not the teachings.”
Why? Because it cramps their lifestyle. Because it demands conversion. Because it calls us to holiness.
My friend Deacon Bill Klienpeter calls it “third grade theology syndrome.”
Too many of us stopped learning about God after First Communion. We try to live adult lives on a child’s understanding of faith. And when life gets hard, when prayer feels dry, when suffering comes—we grow weary. We give up.
But the truth is this: God has not changed. God will never change.
And if we want to know Him, we must be persistent. We must grow. We must endure.
Remember Moses on the hilltop.
He holds the staff of God high as Israel fights below. But when he grows tired, the battle turns. So Aaron and Hur come beside him. They hold up his arms. They become his strength.
This is the Church.
This is what it means to be a prayer warrior.
To hold one another up.
To pray when others cannot.
To be the Aaron and Hur for someone whose arms are trembling.
Our prayers are the victorious staff of God.
And our community—the Church—is what makes them strong, persistent, enduring.
At a retreat several years ago, Bishop Duca reminded us:
Prayer is faithful.
Prayer is listening.
Prayer is expectant.
We don’t just talk to God—we listen.
We don’t just hope—we expect.
We don’t just pray when it’s easy—we pray always.
For me, prayer is a love story.
It’s saying “I love you” to God.
It’s loving those around you with the strength that comes from grace.
And like all great love stories, it’s built on endurance. On persistence. On faith that doesn’t quit.
I see that love story in your prayers—and in the prayers of my brother deacons.
So pray always. Don’t grow weary.
Love always. Don’t grow weary.
This is our call today:
To be persistent in faith.
To be persistent in prayer.
To be the people who hold up the arms of the weary.
To be the Church whose prayers endure.
Teach your children. Pray for your spouse. Intercede for the sick.
Be faithful. Be expectant. Be strong.
And when the Son of Man comes, may He find faith in us.
Y’all be good. Y’all be holy.
And preach the Gospel by the way you live and love.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.
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