29th
Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2; Luke 18:1-8)
Reflecting
on today’s readings should lead us to a richer and deeper spirituality. They
move us to change the way we think about God and, more importantly, how we
relate to Him. Before examining the readings, however, we should set aside a
mistaken way of thinking about God.
Jesus
himself taught us to think of God as our “Father in heaven.” But this Father
does not need our gratitude and love as our earthly parents do. As a spiritual
being, God does not have human emotions. His love is not the kind that seeks
affection, for it is complete in itself. He allows and urges us to love Him not
for His benefit but for ours. When we love Him so deeply that we avoid
offending Him, we grow as human beings, with perfect happiness as our ultimate
destiny.
In the book
of Exodus, when God revealed His name to Moses, He showed us what He is in
Himself. He said, “I am who I am.” These words may seem mysterious, yet they
indicate that God has always existed and always will. He is the source of all
being, the One who created everything from His own essence. When He became man
in Jesus Christ, He showed beyond all doubt that He is not only the Creator of
all humanity but also its loving protector. Moreover, He gave the earth to men
and women to help them come to know and love Him.
Now let us
look at the first reading, also from Exodus. The Israelites are being attacked
by the Amalekites—an unprovoked and unjust aggression. Moses wastes no time in
asking the Lord’s help to defeat their enemy. He receives that help while
keeping his arms raised in prayer. But when he lowers them, the Amalekites
begin to prevail. This does not mean that God is capricious or that He insists
on being prayed to before helping. Rather, He wants His people to seek His aid
so that they remain faithful to Him. Just as the Amalekites are destined to
perish because of their injustice, the Israelites will endure through their
closeness to the Lord.
The parable
of Jesus in today’s Gospel seems as provocative as the one we heard a few weeks
ago. We remember how Jesus praised the dishonest steward for being shrewd about
his future. In today’s parable, Jesus compares a corrupt judge to God. Of
course, His intention is not to suggest that God is unjust. Instead, He wants
to show that we must act like the widow who persistently pleads for justice.
That is, we must pray to God unceasingly to obtain what we need. Once again,
Scripture reminds us that we are on the right path when we do not withdraw from
the Lord, but rather give ourselves fully to Him.
Surely
Saint Paul would agree on the need for perseverance in prayer. In the second
reading, from the Second Letter to Timothy, the apostle urges his disciple to
remain firm in what he has learned and believed. He also confirms the power of
Sacred Scripture as the source of right living.
We should
not end this reflection without commenting on Jesus’ striking question at the
end of the Gospel: “…when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
With so many people drifting away from the faith community, the question feels
particularly relevant. Will people remain faithful when Jesus returns, or will
they be lost because they have forgotten their provider? The readings clearly
urge us to pray constantly that Jesus may find faith when He comes again. But
it does not depend on our effort alone. More importantly, we are assured that
God, in His love, is always seeking us. Like the father of the prodigal son,
who scans the horizon each day for a sign of his lost child, God continually
calls us to return to Him.
