Sunday Homily

HOMILY FOR THE TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

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15
Oct

 

Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 120; 2Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

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Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai

THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW

Success is not dependent on talent, beauty, or inherited fortune either. In reality, all it takes to succeed is a focused mind that is ready to persevere and persist in the face obstacles. Today’s readings presents us with the theme “persistence in prayer”. Jesus Christ used a number of parables to teach His disciples about prayer, including the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1–8) and the parable of the persistent neighbor (Luke 11:5–10). We often give up when we pray especially when results are not forth coming. But a young man who is wooing a lady knows how to persist with all his time, knowledge and resources until the lady affirms his desires. But such a man is hardly ready to persist in prayer. Beloved, use your energy well. Pray persistently, no matter the length, don’t relent.

Prayer is not all about instant result. We don’t pray and wait persistently because God finds pleasure in keeping us waiting, but because in persistent prayer we get greater faith-clarity and depth in our petition. For the petition of a true Christian is never egocentric but theo-centric. That is to say; a true petition is not for the establishment of our kingdom but the realization of God’s Kingdom. So, persistent prayer helps us to deepen our faith and purifies our intention. Saint Luke demonstrates that Jesus prayed frequently during his public ministry and his Passion. As his followers let us do the same thing. Prayer unites us with God, if we don’t pray we alter that bond.

Do not be discouraged. We read about the Israelites fighting the Amalekites in the first reading (Exodus 17:8-13). Joshua served as their leader. Moses stays on the mountaintop throughout the conflict, and the Israelites benefited when his arms were lifted but suffered when they were lowered. The Psalm is a song that serves as a reminder that, as he was for the Israelites in their fight against the Amalekites, the Lord is at our sides, providing us with support and strength. But on our part we must not be discouraged. We must use every means possible to keep our minds focused and our hands lifted.

The parable reminds us that for many people who have been wronged, denied their right and whose voice has been silenced. This parable teaches us that great persistence is needed to try and ensure one’s rights. We must not keep quiet and allow evil leaders and unjust judges to continue to avert our rights and pervert justice. We must continue to protest and cry against the evil leaders until there is a result. No matter the length, we shall not relent.

Jesus concludes with a question; He asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” The Lord is curious to know if there shall be devoted prayer warriors on earth at his return. With the way Christianity is practiced today, will there still be faith on earth? Paul in 1Thess 5:17 says “pray without ceasing”. Where are those who can pray without ceasing? Where are the intercessors of this generation? Even though they pray, what is the content of their prayer? Lastly, Paul exhorts Timothy  in the second reading saying; “…be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching”  (2 Timothy 4:2). Beloved, let us be steadfast faith, unwavering in doctrine and persistent in prayer.

LET US PRAY

Almighty ever-living God, help us to build sincere relationship with you through prayers and grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through Jesus Christ  our Lord. Amen.

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Fr Galadima Bitrus, OSA

OUR STRUGGLE WITH PRAYER AND THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE 

The message of our liturgical readings this Sunday are centred on the need not to get discouraged when our prayers seem to go unanswered or when the answer appears to be delayed, but to pray with constancy knowing that God not only answers prayers but delights in those who pray day and night, faithfully.
In the Gospel Reading (from Luke 18:1-8) Jesus compares prayer with the struggle for justice. To teach about the necessity to pray always and not lose heart, Jesus told the parable of a widow who obtained justice by continuing her plea for justice and refusing to be discouraged by the attitude of a notoriously corrupt judge, described as one who neither feared God nor had respect for people, and characterized as “the unrighteous judge” or “the judge of unrighteousness(cf. v. 6).
In other words, the judge had no guiding religious nor humanistic principle of justice whatsoever. Yet by persistence and refusal to be discouraged, the helpless widow ultimately secured justice from this unrighteous judge.
One notable feature of this parable is that while in parables the lessons usually come after the parable is told, here the evangelist provides the lesson even before narrating the parable.
Another feature to note is the use of rhetorical questions towards the end of the parable. In rhetorical questions generally, it is left for the listener to affirm the obvious answer personally; here, however, the rhetorical questions are raised and the obvious answers are still given. While this may as well signal some redactional combination of different traditions of this parable by the author of the Gospel of Luke (as some literary critics have suggested), the responses seem to add something to the obvious answers, thus making this variation perhaps an intentional rhetorical strategy by the author of the Gospel of Luke: for it is not only that God will grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night (the expected answer to the rhetorical question) but even more, God will do so quickly without delaying long. Thus while both God and the unrighteous judge are moved by those who persist and never lose heart, unlike the unrighteous judge, God will not delay long in helping those who cry to him day and night, those who prove to be faithful, those who do not lose heart.
A few other lessons to be learnt from this parable:
1. That justice is not served too easily, especially by unrighteous judges. The struggle for justice, therefore, must be constant and continuous, and those who are committed to the cause of justice must remain eternally vigilant, night and day, always without getting discouraged or losing motivation, since the basis for what they do is fear of God and respect for human beings.
2. That prayer is like the struggle for justice. It is not a once and for all duty. It must be constant and continuous. It must be a way of life. Prayer too, like the struggle for justice, must be rooted in the fear of God and respect for human beings.
Have a happy Sunday and a blessed week!

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Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria. He was ordained October 20th, 2018. He offers his daily homilies, talks and articles that bother on, faith, theology, morals and many other burning issues in religion and politics. Fr. Daniel writes poems, inspirational quotes and clips.

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