BIBLE STUDY
TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
October 17, 2010
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. Last weekend, our teenagers who are preparing for their confirmation later this month, went 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 were 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?


Second Reading 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


Reflection


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. For example, we started with the First Book of Timothy on September 12th and we read until September 26th. On October 3rd we began with Second Timothy until October 24th. 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