Last night I heard a beautiful parallel between Moses praying while Israel battled against Amalek and the Church. We read in the book of Exodus, chapter 17, verses 11 and 12:
“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tiered; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset.”
Father Robert Barron take this passage and makes a parallel to the Church. The Church does battle constantly in the world in the same way Israel battled Amalek. It is prayer which sustains the battle and allows for triumph in the same way Moses’ prayers gave Israel the better of the fight. Those constantly praying, especially the religious, including those who live a cloistered life of prayer, are sustained by the efforts and generosity of the faithful in the same way Aaron and Hur sustained Moses’ hands so he could pray.
I really liked Father Barron’s parallel because it brings forth two very important points which are often disregarded in the modern world:
1) The need and importance of religious orders dedicated to prayer alone, even though the world may believe they are wasting their lives.
2) The importance of being generous towards these orders in order for them to fulfill their mission.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In