Homily For The 29th Sunday In The Ordinary Time. Year C. October 16, 2022
“Render a just decision for me against my adversary.”
” Let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it and without prayer, such amendment will be much more difficult.”
–St. Teresa of Avila
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
The readings of this 29th Sunday remind us of the indispensability of persistence in our prayer life. So, I invite you to reflect with me on persistence as an attitude of faith in God.
The first reading gives us a picture of persistence in action in the encounter between the Israelites and the Amalekites at the Valley of Rephidim. It is recorded that as long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites would prevail, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites prevailed. When Moses’ hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under Moses and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands so Israel would prevail. We can say that the raising of Moses’ hands is symbolic of our persistent lifting up of our hearts in prayer and the lowering of his hands is our giving up in disappointment. When we lift our hearts, God answers and we win. But when we give up, we lose the battle. So if you want to win the spiritual battle, keep your heart lifted to God in prayers, and don’t give up. Just as Moses’ physical arms became weak, we often grow lukewarm in prayers (spiritual sloth). Therefore, to remain persistent, we need to support our spiritual and physical strength with the Word of God and the sacraments. Just as Aaron and Hur provided physical support to keep Moses’ hands steadily up we also need a faith community to provide constant support and encouragement. We can never undermine the importance of people of faith. Friends, family, and people who have the love of God in their hearts are needed in our spiritual life. Aaron and Hur were examples of such people.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses the parable of the importunate widow and the unjust judge to teach us about persistence in prayer. The widow persisted in disturbing the ungodly judge who finally yielded to her request because of her persistent disturbance. The unjust judge’s response, I think, was influenced by three factors: 1. The persistence of the widow 2. The fact that the widow is a vulnerable person that really needs help and perhaps has a good reputation. An evil person cannot be asking for justice. 3. She also made a genuine request. The second and third points must also be taken into consideration in our relationship with God.
At this juncture, we need to ask ourselves these questions: Do I have a good reputation before God? Am I asking for the right things and with the right intention? People often become frustrated in prayers because they think God is not responding but fail to realize that they might be asking for the wrong thing. This is what St. James means when he says, “You ask and you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives…”(cf James 4:3) For instance, many Christians will demand justice from God against their enemies and expect God to destroy their enemies to give them justice when they should pray for the Grace to forgive their enemies. God will surely answer our prayers and grant us justice but not when our request for justice is vindictive. Our God is not a God who destroys others or makes them suffer just to put a smile on a righteous person.
WHY PERSIST? Through persistence in prayer, God can evaluate the level of importance we attach to what we are requesting and the strength of our faith in Him. The Gospel ended by asking, “But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth ?” This is simply to tell us that we cannot be able to persist in prayers if we don’t have an abiding faith in God. So when you feel that God is not answering your prayers, it could be that God is watching and waiting to see if you are serious with what you are requesting and to test the depth of your faith in Him. If there is no urgency or emergency when we make a request to God (or any person), it lies at God’s discretion to decide what is urgent and needs immediate attention. So, don’t pray out of frustration, and don’t put God to the test. Persistence is not the magic in prayers. It is the disposition to wait patiently on God and to finally hear His voice. Pray without ceasing (cf 1 Thes 5:17).
So, we ask God to sustain our faith in Him and to give us the grace to remain committed to our relationship with Him and to persist in asking for the right things with the right intentions in our prayer. May God answer all our prayers and petitions according to His riches in Glory. Amen.
Prayer: Lord God, teach me to love You above all things. Keep my heart focused on You. Give me the strength to remain faithful to You and the Grace to be persistent in my prayers. Amen
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
