in behalf of
Probably you have been taught before and therefore you have known by now why a priest when he prays raises his hands like this. Yes this is a gesture for prayer, - that is why a priest introduces it by saying, let us pray. But the question is, what kind of prayer? The raising of both hands in prayer is called the orans position, orans. The priest uses this gesture when he prays not for himself but when he prays in behalf of the other. When a priest prays for himself he simply closes his hands and prays for himself. But when he prays for others, when he prays for the community, when he prays in behalf of the people he raises both his hands in the orans position. Remember this outstretched hand is the same position Jesus took when he died on the cross, a gesture that he was doing this painful sacrifice not for himself but for the sake of and in behalf of the other.
This gesture of a priest in prayer, which comes from the position and gesture of Moses in our first reading today provides us the reason for persistence which the gospel teaches. It provides us the reason why people persevere in whatever they are doing as in the case of Moses and the Israelites, whether in praying or in fighting.
Why should we not give up? Why should we persevere in what we are doing? What gives us the reason not to give up?
At the start it might be encouraging to note that people quit less when they know that whatever they’re doing they’re doing not for themselves but for another, for something noble, or perhaps for someone special.
Think about this - whatever you find worth doing do it for people or for a person you love and care about, a loved one who may depend on our persistence. Moses discovered that when he lowers his hands, when he let go of his hands raised in prayer because of inconvenience or perhaps because of tiredness, some child in the camp will lose a father that day killed by an enemy. Moses discovered that when he gives up and drops his arm, Israel’s troop may lose a commander and a struggling people may lose their dream of ever becoming a nation. Moses persevered because he knew that whatever he is called to do however tiresome, he did for the people he cared about. It is important therefore that when we do something we do it for another, for persons we care about.
One day a dog saw a rabbit. And like all dogs it barked on it and ran after it. It barked and it ran, it ran and it barked after the rabbit. Some dogs saw that dog running and barking. And so they also ran and barked in the same direction where the first dog ran and barked. They ran and barked, they barked and ran but soon enough when these dogs got tired, one by one they stopped running and they stopped barking until only the first dog was left running and barking. Why? Because only the first dog saw the rabbit, the others did not. The first dog knew why it is running and for what it is barking. It knew, it saw what it was after.
Why can’t we persevere at times? Why do we easily give up? Perhaps it is not clear to whom are we doing it for.
A church volunteer, a catechist, a minister may easily give up especially when tiredness and boredom sets in. Perhaps it is not clear for whom is she doing it for.
A priest may easily rid himself of his sautana and leave the ministry the instant loneliness sets in and the call for companionship becomes too strong. Perhaps it is not clear to him for whom and for what is he sacrificing himself for.
A work may have been haphazardly done, a responsibility may have been oftentimes neglected, a worker may have been remised and unreliable, a person may be so unhappy in his job. Perhaps it is not clear yet to what purpose and what end is the work for. Perhaps it has become empty and meaningless. Perhaps life has lost its purpose.
A person may quit his job, even choose another profession and may even choose a lesser paying one. Perhaps it is not clear for whom she or he is doing it for. Or perhaps one day it became clearer.
I have heard many an argument to save a marriage but there can only be one that most often raises the white banner of peace albeit fragile - can you stick it out at least for the sake of the children. When it is clear to whom are we doing it for, regardless of the sacrifices we have to face, when it is clear that we are doing it for the other we care about and love, then the chances of persevering becomes greater. It becomes greater when we have learned to look at whatever we’re doing beyond our own personal goals, beyond convenience, beyond profit, beyond ourselves, when we can say, I am doing this for the person or persons I love and care about. Love will always be the greater and more powerful reason.
You must have heard of an advertisement on TV and perhaps it might be good to ask the same question to ourselves when we wake up in the morning, Para kanino ka bumabangon? For what and for whom are you waking up each and every morning. What is motivating you to move on? Who is making you do what you do?
If you want to persist, if you want to persevere it might help if you clarify to whom and for whom. Para kanino ka bumabangon?
This gesture of a priest in prayer, which comes from the position and gesture of Moses in our first reading today provides us the reason for persistence which the gospel teaches. It provides us the reason why people persevere in whatever they are doing as in the case of Moses and the Israelites, whether in praying or in fighting.
Why should we not give up? Why should we persevere in what we are doing? What gives us the reason not to give up?
At the start it might be encouraging to note that people quit less when they know that whatever they’re doing they’re doing not for themselves but for another, for something noble, or perhaps for someone special.
Think about this - whatever you find worth doing do it for people or for a person you love and care about, a loved one who may depend on our persistence. Moses discovered that when he lowers his hands, when he let go of his hands raised in prayer because of inconvenience or perhaps because of tiredness, some child in the camp will lose a father that day killed by an enemy. Moses discovered that when he gives up and drops his arm, Israel’s troop may lose a commander and a struggling people may lose their dream of ever becoming a nation. Moses persevered because he knew that whatever he is called to do however tiresome, he did for the people he cared about. It is important therefore that when we do something we do it for another, for persons we care about.
One day a dog saw a rabbit. And like all dogs it barked on it and ran after it. It barked and it ran, it ran and it barked after the rabbit. Some dogs saw that dog running and barking. And so they also ran and barked in the same direction where the first dog ran and barked. They ran and barked, they barked and ran but soon enough when these dogs got tired, one by one they stopped running and they stopped barking until only the first dog was left running and barking. Why? Because only the first dog saw the rabbit, the others did not. The first dog knew why it is running and for what it is barking. It knew, it saw what it was after.
Why can’t we persevere at times? Why do we easily give up? Perhaps it is not clear to whom are we doing it for.
A church volunteer, a catechist, a minister may easily give up especially when tiredness and boredom sets in. Perhaps it is not clear for whom is she doing it for.
A priest may easily rid himself of his sautana and leave the ministry the instant loneliness sets in and the call for companionship becomes too strong. Perhaps it is not clear to him for whom and for what is he sacrificing himself for.
A work may have been haphazardly done, a responsibility may have been oftentimes neglected, a worker may have been remised and unreliable, a person may be so unhappy in his job. Perhaps it is not clear yet to what purpose and what end is the work for. Perhaps it has become empty and meaningless. Perhaps life has lost its purpose.
A person may quit his job, even choose another profession and may even choose a lesser paying one. Perhaps it is not clear for whom she or he is doing it for. Or perhaps one day it became clearer.
I have heard many an argument to save a marriage but there can only be one that most often raises the white banner of peace albeit fragile - can you stick it out at least for the sake of the children. When it is clear to whom are we doing it for, regardless of the sacrifices we have to face, when it is clear that we are doing it for the other we care about and love, then the chances of persevering becomes greater. It becomes greater when we have learned to look at whatever we’re doing beyond our own personal goals, beyond convenience, beyond profit, beyond ourselves, when we can say, I am doing this for the person or persons I love and care about. Love will always be the greater and more powerful reason.
You must have heard of an advertisement on TV and perhaps it might be good to ask the same question to ourselves when we wake up in the morning, Para kanino ka bumabangon? For what and for whom are you waking up each and every morning. What is motivating you to move on? Who is making you do what you do?
If you want to persist, if you want to persevere it might help if you clarify to whom and for whom. Para kanino ka bumabangon?
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