Be Persistent in Prayer: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB –  Twenty-Ninth Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year C

Sermon And Christian Act In The Word

Theme: Our channel to God is through prayer! Listen and Pray to God! Be Persistent in prayer! Never stop praying!

Point of Reflection: Do I communicate with God on a daily basis? If yes, then how? The only way to communicate with God is through prayer. Praying as an individual but also as a community. What unites us in prayer is listening and faith. God’s grace and power pour down upon believers so that they can exclaim with the Psalmist, “our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

First Reading: Exodus 17:8–13
Psalm: Psalm 121:1–8
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2
Gospel: Luke 18:1–8

Sermon (Reflection): The Israelites, on their way to the promised land, had to pass through the territories controlled by the Amalekites, a nomadic tribe living in the deserts of Sinai. Since the Amalekites did not want the Israelites in their lands, the military confrontation became inevitable. Today’s first reading describes the battle between the two groups, showing how God yet again intervened and saved his people from destruction. This was done through listening and prayer.

From the story we encounter an instructive message. Only God can save and protect his people from a superior enemy. However, God’s power descends and empowers the community when its members work together. Today’s reading shows a conduit built of people through whom God’s power worked. It flowed down from God through Moses’ extended hands, supported by two other Israelites, finally reaching Joshua and his soldiers on the battlefield. The story teaches that the life of the nation depends on its members working together to establish and maintain a connection to God. National well-being and survival never depend on a lone individual’s effort but the community. As Christians, we need to work as a community; we often say, No man is an island. As the Israelites of today, we need to learn to listen to God and collaborate with others in harmony as it is God who saves and protects.

The second reading contains Paul’s further instructions to Timothy. In the preceding verses, Paul alludes to the tremendous challenges and sufferings he endured in his long apostolic service. In this context, Paul’s admonitions to Timothy are a form of sharing on what gave Paul the courage and strength to persevere in apostleship against overwhelming odds. St. Paul solemnly charges Timothy with teaching and proclaiming the good news in all circumstances, as he himself did. Again, the power and guidance for such courageous and zealous missionary endeavour will come from the Scriptures. For Paul, the God-inspired Scriptures serve as a conduit through which God inspires believers and guides them on the way to salvation. As Christians, we need to find guidance and strength from the scriptures each and every day. Scriptures must be used for meditation and that is communicating to God through prayer.

Today’s Gospel story of the persistent widow is located in the context of Jesus’ promise of the coming of God’s kingdom in its fulness when he returns to earth at the end of times (Cf. Luke 17:20-37). At the end of that story, Jesus’ returns to the theme of his return with a question, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Jesus apparently wonders whether his disciples and the subsequent generations of Christians would lose their faith in his absence. How many true believers will there be on earth when he returns? He considers the loss of faith a real possibility and tells the story of the widow to address this danger. As Christians, are we not losing our faith?

In the story, we find an arrogant and godless judge. He respects neither God nor people, which means he feels no obligations towards anyone, including God and God’s law. This individual will not be forced to do anything he does not want. True to his character and negligent of his duties, the judge is indifferent to the widow’s calls for justice and protection against her opponent. Finally, bothered by her persistence, the judge yields to the woman’s requests and grants her justice. Jesus explained the meaning of the story. It teaches that if this godless and indifferent judge finally granted the woman her request, how much more a good and caring God will listen to the pleas and prayers of the people he loves.

The situation of believers in the world after Jesus’ departure can be likened to the situation of the widow. She was not only a widow but was also alone; otherwise, a male relative would have defended her and come to see the judge on her behalf. She requests justice, which means that she was probably stripped of property and possessions by heartless relatives of the deceased husband. She is alone in the world and, if justice is not done, she will suffer utter destitution and helplessness. Her persistent prayer brought her justice and probably saved her life.

Telling this story, Jesus shows the disciples what they need to do to maintain their faith in his absence; thus, they need persistent prayer to stay connected to him and God. Without prayer, they will be helpless and alone in this world. Prayer will serve as a conduit uniting the disciples to Jesus. Through prayer, they will preserve their faith until he returns. As Christians, we need to be perseverant in prayer.

Christian Act in Word of God: “Never stop praying”

God communicates with us to help us to navigate the twists and turns of daily life. His guidance helps us to avoid pitfalls and traps that we encounter on the way. For reasons unknown to us, God chose to give us life and to draw us to himself, so that we can enjoy an ever fuller life on earth, and eternal life in the future. This great perspective, that we as Christians have, is a true blessing in a world where so many struggles to find sense and meaning in life.

Our times have been called by many “the secular age”. This is indeed a time when religious indifference takes hold of many areas of the world. Never in the world’s history have there been so many atheists or people who have no religious affiliation. This is the case because of the loss of contact with God. We live in this age and are exposed to this same temptation. Today’s liturgy helps us to face this challenge, identifying three main ways in which we can draw on God’s power and seek his guidance.

The Scriptures keep the Christian community alive. In God’s word, we find inspiration and guidance in our journey through life. God chose to reveal his thoughts and plans through the Scriptures. By reading Scripture, studying Scripture and meditating on Scripture, we come into contact with the divine mind and with the divine person. This contact is our education. It can be likened to being taken by the hand and guided in the right direction by a caring and concerned parent.

Prayer is the food of the soul. In the beautiful story of the persistent widow, Jesus correctly wondered whether anyone can survive as a Christian immersed in this world without prayer. Realising what they will face, and what we face today, Jesus admonishes his disciples to be persistent in prayer, knowing that only through prayer and the connection with God can faith be maintained. While the community supports us and the Scriptures direct us, prayer brings us before God. The crisis of faith for many of us begins when we cease to pray regularly. May this Sunday’s powerful message help us to maintain our faith and direct us to walk in the right direction together with others until we reach that goal that God has set for our life. Let us pray always, no matter what circumstances we encounter each day.

Action: I will never stop praying, no matter what! God increase my faith to pray more.

Prayer:  Almighty God, we give you thanks for communicating with us through prayer. May you increase our faith and help us each day to open our hearts to receive your blessings through prayer.  Nourish our families, friends, and sustain us on this earth pilgrimage as we journey through this life towards eternal life with you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, Amen.