Sunday Scripture Readings

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twenty-ninth sunday

in ordinary time,

october 21

Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121;

2 Timothy 3:14-42; Luke 18:1-8 OUR GOOD NEWS: We ought to pray diligently, with firm confidence in God. Today's first reading describes Israel's early life-or-death struggle with neighboring Amalekites, brutally aggressive enemies of God's people. The story centers on God, for he rather than Joshua or Moses defeated them. After Joshua gathered an army for self-defense, Moses took his stand on a nearby hill, a preferred place for a divine encounter, as God's official representative ("the staff of God," his badge of office). Moses' gesture of "upraised hands" should not be interpreted merely as prayer of intercession by a human mediator, or as psychological support urging the Israelite solders to victory. His hands raised throughout the battle pointed away from the human to the divine realm, publicly acknowledging God's direct intervention, who personally fought to deliver his people. Thus, contrary to appearances it was not the soldiers' bravery or Moses' influence but God who delivered. "Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other." Moses' inability even to maintain his posture unassisted further emphasized human frailty in comparison to divine power. Luke's colorful story (in the Gospel) generates misunderstanding, as though by incessantly pestering God our prayers will always be answered. Look again at the opening sentence: "Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary." Jesus didn't commit God to serve as our fairy godmother, but only insisted on perseverance in the face of seemingly hopeless situations. The parable concludes with the judge's favorable decision, nevertheless not yet acted upon, and so the widow remained unaware of his change of heart. The point of Jesus' teaching is that, even when lacking encouraging signs, we must continue unflagging in our petitions. God will answer our prayers, but in his own way and time. This story teaches the eventual triumph of God's kingdom, however impossible it may seem. We ought not pray in expectation of immediate success but to reconcile ourselves to God's loving but mysterious will.