If you ever feel like you’ve prayed and nothing happens,
you’re in good company.
Every saint has been there.
Moses, Paul, even Jesus in Gethsemane —
they all knew what it feels like to pray in the dark.

But Jesus says today, “Pray always, and never lose heart.”
That’s the message of the Gospel.
Don’t quit.
Don’t give up on God,
because He has never given up on you.

Jesus tells us about a widow who has nothing.
No husband, no money, no power.
All she has is persistence.
She keeps knocking on the judge’s door:
“Give me justice!”
He ignores her —
but she keeps coming.
Finally he says,
“I’ll help her just to get some peace!”

Jesus isn’t saying God is like that judge.
He’s saying the opposite.
If even a hard-hearted man gives in,
how much more will your Father in heaven,
who actually loves you,
listen to your prayers.

But the real miracle is not that she got justice —
it’s that she refused to stop asking.
That’s what prayer does:
it builds strength in the soul.

Remember the first reading?
Israel’s fighting a battle.
Moses stands on the hill with his hands raised in prayer.
When his hands are up, they’re winning.
When they drop, they start losing.
So his friends come and hold his arms up.

That’s what Church looks like:
when one person gets tired,
someone else prays for them.
Sometimes you’re Moses;
sometimes you’re the friend holding the arms;
sometimes you’re the soldier down below
who can only keep going because someone’s praying for you.

Prayer is never wasted.
Even in a cell, even in silence,
your prayer is holding someone else up
that you may never meet this side of heaven.

St Paul tells Timothy, “Stay faithful to what you’ve been taught…
Proclaim the Word, whether the time is right or not.”
In other words: keep going.
When faith feels easy — pray.
When faith feels dry — pray anyway.
The time is never perfect,
but grace is always available.

Let’s be honest:
sometimes it feels like God’s not listening.
You pray for peace,
but the war inside you doesn’t stop.
You pray for healing,
but the pain stays.
You pray for forgiveness,
but the guilt still bites.

Listen — God always answers,
but not always in the way or timing we expect.
Prayer is not about controlling outcomes.
It’s about keeping connection.
When you pray, you’re saying:
“Lord, I still believe You’re here. I still trust You.”
That’s real faith.
That’s how hope survives.

The Cross looked like a prayer unanswered —
and yet it was the beginning of Resurrection.
What felt like silence was actually salvation in progress.

Every man and woman carries a battle inside —
anger, regret, temptation, fear.
You win that battle the same way Moses won his:
with arms lifted up.
When you pray, even for a minute,
you invite God into the fight.
You say, “Lord, this is bigger than me — help me.”
And He does.

Prayer doesn’t erase the past,
but it can redeem it.
It can turn guilt into gratitude
and punishment into purification.
That’s the slow miracle of grace.

Jesus says, “Will not God see justice done for His chosen ones who cry to Him day and night?”
He doesn’t say maybe.
He says will.
God sees.
He hears.
He remembers.

Every “Hail Mary” whispered in the night,
every “Lord, have mercy” said under your breath,
every quiet act of kindness behind bars —
all of it counts.
Nothing good is wasted in God’s sight.

Even a locked door can’t shut out His mercy.
You may feel forgotten,
but heaven hasn’t forgotten you.

At the end Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
He’s not looking for perfect people.
He’s looking for people who don’t give up.
That’s the kind of faith that changes lives —
not loud, not fancy, just faithful.

That widow had no power,
but she had perseverance.
That’s holiness in its simplest form.
And anyone can live it — even here.

So today, remember three things:

Keep praying.
Even if you don’t feel it, your prayer matters.

Help each other.
Hold up the arms of the man beside you —
a word, a listening ear, a prayer.

Trust God’s timing.
The answer may take longer than you like,
but it will come when it’s ready.

Prayer doesn’t change God — it changes us.
It turns bitterness into peace,
restlessness into trust,
and despair into hope.

“Pray always,” Jesus says, “and never lose heart.”
Because the God who heard the widow
and who held up Moses’ arms
is the same God who walks these corridors today.

He hasn’t forgotten you.
He hasn’t stopped listening.
And He never will.