BIBLE STUDY #155

TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 20, 2013

Reading 1

EXodus 17:8-13

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
"Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. 
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand." 
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses’ hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. 
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 3:14-4:2

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. 
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'" 
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? 
Will he be slow to answer them? 
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. 
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

The passage immediately preceding our gospel today tells us about Jesus second coming and what will happen at that time. Specifically, it talks about being prepared because we don’t know the day or time that Jesus will return. We need to be vigilant and prepared for this day that will bring judgment on all people.

The way to be prepared is to be persistent and consistent in prayer. In this parable, the judge gives into the woman’s request because she is persistent. If an unjust judge gives in because of persistence, how much more will God give us when we ask?

However, God is not the divine gift giver. God is not our servant, waiting for our requests so he can hop to it. Many times we ask and God says no, which is a perfectly legitimate answer. Some people give up on their faith because they have prayed for something or someone and it didn’t come to pass. This is a very immature way to look at faith. We can’t manipulate God by prayer. This is role reversal – God should be telling us what to do, not us telling God.

If God knows our needs, and gives us every good thing, why do we need to be persistent and consistent in prayer? It is for our own good. The more we pray the closer we get to God. It is not about badgering God to get what we want, but developing that personal relationship with God. The more we pray, the closer we get to God, until the bond between us and God is so strong that no one or no thing can break that bond. Prayer brings us into right relationship with God so that we want for ourselves what God wants for us. Our prayer changes from making requests to asking God to guide and direct us. We realize that God knows what’s best for us, so we try to determine God’s will for us in our lives. That’s why reading scripture and understanding what the Church teaches is so important; that’s where we discern God’s will for us in our lives.

We can’t be disciples until we know what Jesus taught. We don’t need to be scholars, but we need to know what he taught in general. We also look to the church for instruction and information about Jesus teachings so we don’t misinterpret scripture. Our tradition speaks volumes to us about God’s will for us. We believe that the Spirit guides and directs the church in such a way as to avoid error. This guidance is passed onto us for our own spiritual welfare.

Prayer also opens us up to the movement of the Spirit in our lives. It’s not enough to know things about Jesus; we need to know Jesus through a personal experience of the risen Christ. Every year, our teenagers who are preparing for their confirmation, go on an Antioch retreat. All their lives they have been taught things about Jesus; this was an opportunity to get to know Jesus personally. Hopefully, many of them are moved by the Spirit. When we open ourselves to the movement of the Spirit, the Lord will eventually touch our hearts and change us in a drastic way. Prayer is one of the best ways to invite the Spirit into our lives. When this happens, faith makes sense. Not in a way we can put into words, but in a way we understand in our hearts. We believe not because of something that was taught to us, but because God imprinted his love in our hearts. Our belief is not intellectual, but spiritual.

Prayer also helps us maintain our relationship with God. Like any relationship, it needs work. The more we work on it, the stronger it becomes, and the less we work on it the weaker it becomes. All you married couples know that. How many marriages have fallen apart from disuse? How many people have gone away from faith and the church because of lack of prayer?

Prayer also sustains us in difficult times. I know that whatever happens to me that God loves me and His Son paid the price for my redemption. No one can take this hope or this salvation from me. I can lay my troubles at God’s feet and I know that His grace will be there to sustain me. Prayer teaches me that nothing comes close in importance to salvation. There is great hope and peace in that.

I also think that communal prayer is important. There is hardly a better way to receive support than from praying with others, especially at Mass. Since the Eucharist is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven, what better way to feel God’s presence or to be touched by God’s presence than in the proclamation of the Word and in receiving the body and blood of Our Lord at Mass?

We don’t normally take much heed of the second reading at Mass, because for us the Gospel is the main reading. Sometimes we tie the first reading in with the gospel, because they are picked to have similar themes, but not so with the second reading. In the second reading, a New Testament book is selected, and most of the book is read sequentially. Part of today’s selection is a commission given by St. Paul to all disciples of Jesus and to all who read this letter. He tells us to do three things: 1) To proclaim the Gospel. Proclaiming is more than reading; it is living the gospel. We need to learn from scripture and our tradition what Jesus teaches us, put that into practice in our lives, and witness with our words and actions to all the people we meet; 2) To be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient. It is easy to be a disciple when we are among other believers. What about when we are with unbelievers, or those who actively work against the church? Are we brave enough to stand up for what we believe? Or how about something easier: when we are out of town, do you look for a church for Sunday Mass, or do you make excuses for not attending? I can guarantee you that if you look for a church you will find one; 3) Convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. We convince others more with our actions than with our words. When we show others that we live the gospel message, that it means something to us, and that it makes a difference in our lives, than we have the credibility to convince others to believe. If we aren’t committed, why should others believe our words? When someone is doing something wrong, a reprimand is in order. We witness by not putting others down, but by gently pointing out that Jesus teaches something different, and maybe they should consider that course of action. We never tell people what to do, just make suggestions. Encouragement is absolutely necessary, and we should be doing that consistently. We need to encourage one another so we can all grow in our faith.

Fr. Phil

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More importantly, though, the people here are welcoming; I hear this all the time from visitors. At a baptism, I told a woman that if she liked it so much, she should come here regularly. She said it was a bit of a commute for her, since she lives near Niagara Falls.

I think being friendly and welcoming of every one is a sign of God’s love. There are few better ways to enhance the quality of worship than to be a welcoming parish.

Jesus does so much for us and he asks so little in return. Through his death and resurrection, he pays the price for our sins, opens up the way to heaven, and gives us peace and happiness in this life. What does he ask of us? Faith. He asks us to live by his teachings, and do our best to spread faith.

He doesn’t ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities or our capacity. He asks us to offer whatever we can, and he in turn will transform our gifts into something spectacular.

Before we spread our faith, we need to acquire it first. We are all like the leper in a way because we are all sinners. Just as the leper couldn’t cure himself, we can’t atone for our sins. Without forgiveness, our soul begins to rot away and there is nothing we can do about it. With the healing power of forgiveness, we can begin to grow in our faith. We need to turn away from our sins and bask in his healing love.

We need to keep asking for forgiveness because our faith is a relationship with Jesus, and like in all relationships, we make mistakes and fail. The more we turn to Jesus when we fail, the closer we become, the more our faith grows, and the more we have to share with each other.

As a stewardship parish we should all be familiar with the concept of gratefulness because being a good steward encompasses Psalm 116: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” So I ask all of you: Are you good stewards?

Fr. Phil

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The image of the Easter Vigil comes to mind. Here at St. Joseph’s, we build a big fire in the parking lot. We bless the fire and then light the charcoal and the Paschal Candle. Everyone has a small, individual candle that is lit from the Paschal Candle. We then process into a darkened church. The more people that enter the church, the brighter the church becomes. When all are in the church, it is amazing how bright it is; enough to read by.

We are not the Paschal Candle; that is Jesus job. He is the light of the world. We are like that little candle. Our flame of faith is lit from the Paschal Candle, and we keep it lit through living the Christian life. Just as we pass along the flame from the Paschal Candle to one another in church, we should pass along the flame of faith to those we meet.

By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

When we aid those in need, we are bringing light into the world, making it a better place. We may not be solving the worlds or even one person’s problems, but we are making a difference in someone’s life. And all of us together can make a big difference. The Second Coming will transform the world. In the meantime, we do what we can. I think that’s all Jesus asks.

Fr. Phil

o admitA � s s � �I s forgiveness, and tries to turn his life around. We are not called to be like the older son. His sins are different than his brother, but no less serious. He is jealous of other people’s good fortune. He is unforgiving and uncaring. He doesn’t see himself as a sinner so he doesn’t see the need for forgiveness. How many people are there like that? They look down on others as sinful, they nitpick others actions, and fail to even think that they have any problems. Like the older son, they have everything, but in the end they will end up with nothing. It is really sad to see people like this. The kingdom is there for them, in their grasp, but their smallness and pettiness will keep them out. It’s even hard to talk to them about it because they won’t believe you and they will be offended, wondering what gave you the right to say that to them. With some people, the most you can do is to keep them in your prayers and hope that somehow God touches their hearts.

As much as we are called to be like the younger son, that is just the start. After we turn our lives around, where do we go? We need to strive to be like the father. Forgiving, loving, nonjudgmental, caring, compassionate, generous, understanding, he is the epitome of a virtuous disciple. He has become what we all strive to be: holy. He is virtuous not just for himself, but to share it with others. No matter how his sons act, he treats them with love and respect. He forgives them and wants to share everything he has with them.

From the September 2013 issue of Connections, a homily resource: “In our "sophisticated" and complex lives, the idea that God loves us is difficult to grasp.  But the most important lesson Jesus taught, the central theme of his Gospel, is that God loves us completely and unconditionally.  We are never beyond his reach; we are never lost to him.  Such a realization of the possibilities for such love in our lives is grace.   Sometimes we experience grace in the support and love of generous family and friends - and sometimes we are the agents of such grace, giving and doing whatever is necessary for the good of another, refusing to give up our search to find the lost and bring back those from whom we have been separated.   Grace is the joy and fulfillment experienced by the shepherd who finds the lost lamb, the woman who recovers the missing coin, and the father who welcomes home his wayward son - and the realization of the love that led us to be found.”         

God is like that with us. He loves us when we don’t deserve it, he forgives us when we ask, he understands our needs, and gives us what we need to make it through this life in his grace and peace, and to be around the eternal banquet table in the next life. I pray that we all strive to be like the “Prodigal Father” and share God’s love with those in our lives. May we be Christ for each other, and see Christ in each other.

Fr. Phil