The efficacy of Prayer (HOMILY FOR THE 29TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C October 2022

Homily for the 29th Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year C

Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14--4:2; Luke 18:1-8.

Theme: The efficacy of Prayer

Prayer is the lift up of our hearts and minds to God. The readings of today help us to assess comprehensively the relevance of prayer in our lives as Christians. The first reading and the Gospel illustrates to us examples of persons who pray. On the one hand is one who prays without tiring and on the other hand is one who prays with determination. Common to both is the achievement of the  their objectives.

The First Reading presents us with the scene of the people of Israel in battle with the Amalekites at Rephidim. Moses decided to pray to God on a hilltop while Joshua and his forces take on the enemy assault. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when his arms fail, the advantage went to Amakek. To keep Moses praying, Aaron and Hur supported his arms, one on each side. They were thus able to keep Moses praying until sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people. This is an example of prayer without giving up.

We pray in the Responsorial Psalm: "I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall come my help? My help shall come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2).

In today's Gospel, to teach his disciples the need for perseverance in prayer and the effectiveness of such perseverance, Jesus told them the following parable with marked contrast of personalities, a widow and an unjust judge. The widow kept coming to the judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. He was very unscrupulous. The widow had an enemy who did some injustice to her. She requested the judge; "vindicate me against my adversary" (Luke 18:3). The judge puts her off until her importunity makes him listen and respond in order to save himself from annoyance. Arguing further, Jesus contends that God, the righteous Judge, will certainly grant to his own children the requests they make to him. The widow had no friend to plead her case. The importunity of the widow was annoying the judge. Our importance is pleasing to God.

The widow's case was hopeless because the judge was unjust and there was an enemy and for a long time she was not able to obtain justice. Yet she never gave up. Her mere persistence obtained for her what she desired. With greater reason we can be sure that if we persevere in asking God to vindicate us against our enemies he will answer our request. This is determination.

St. Paul in the Second Reading counsels Timothy to study the Scripures since it is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.  Constant contact with the word of God is the best prayer. 

Prayer is like any other human activity with its rules. Those rules can be found in the Holy Bible. One of them is that we must pray with faith. The second is that we must pray with a right intention, that is, what we are praying for must be for our own or our neighbour's good. Thirdly, is that we must pray with perseverance. That is what the Gospel and the First Reading are dealing with.

Perseverance in prayer does not mean trying to change God or aligning the will of God to ours, rather  it is allowing God to change us by aligning our will to His. We are in the battle front against sin and evil of all sorts and prayer opens us to God's divine intervention. Sometimes the burden may seem too heavy, the road too tiring and the night too long. Don't quit because quitters don't win and winners don't quit. Turn to God in prayer and never give up. We are at our strongest when we are on our knees in prayer.

Our God sees time whole and, therefore, only God knows what is good for us in the long run. That is why Jesus said, we must never be discouraged in prayer. That is why Jesus wondered if human faith would stand the long delays before the Son of man should come. We will never grow weary in prayer and our faith will never falter if, after we have offered God our prayers and requests, we add the perfect prayer, Your will be done.

May God grant us an increase in faith and grant our heart desires in accordance with His will through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Sunday to you all

Fr Remi osj