(Reflection for the
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. Ex 17:8-13; 2Tim 3:14-4:2; Lk
18:1-8)
This Sunday’s readings encourage
us to persevere in prayer. As we scroll through the readings in a prayerful
silence, we get more acquainted with the dynamics of consistent prayer. We
learn through the experience of the Israelites that life situations are not to
be faced with only human strength or calculations. The power of God, working
though our consistent prayers, is our strength.
Israel was under attack by the
Amalekites. “We wrestle against principalities and powers, that is why you must
put on the armour of God” (Eph 6:12-13). Joshua went with human strength to
confront the situation, while Moses climbed the hill of prayer with the staff
of God in his hand, accompanied by Aaron the priest and Hur. “As long as Moses
had his hands raised, Israel had advantage; when he let his arms fall, the
advantage went to Amalek” (Ex 17:11). Prayer can turn situations around and put
us at a gracious position. The force of prayer is always at the background
while we take up our daily responsibilities and challenges.
But Moses hand grew heavy! Here
we see the pain, the struggle with prayer. There is always a temptation not to
pray. We have to hold our prayer hands against natural inclinations, feelings,
mood swings that make it difficult for us to pray. Like Moses, we need support.
Aaron and Hur—the praying
community supports us in prayer. Though we pray privately, we still need the
companion of the Church i.e. the priests and our brothers and sisters in faith.
That is why the Church encourages us to join pious groups and attend Mass
regularly. We are equally supported in prayer by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
Angels and Saints in Heaven. In fact, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid in
prayer (Rm 8:26).
In addition, they took a stone
and put it under him and on this he sat. The stone represents the Word and the
Sacraments—solid rocks of faith—on which we rest on to be praying continually. They
give us steady support. No matter how our praying hands may grow weary,
distracted, procrastinating, etc, if we rest them on the rocks of the Word of
God and the Sacraments of the Church, they will remain raised up to God. These
are solid foundations of faith that transcend individual belief and private
prayers; they do not fail. Their validity is not based on any private person’s
faith or disposition. Instead, they are founded and rooted in Christ Jesus as
the Head of the Body, the Church.
Therefore, in the Word and
Sacraments, we rely on Jesus, the Solid Rock of our Faith, the Rock of Ages. He
is the Cornerstone of our lives and prayers. He is the real Rock that produces
the living water that quenches our thirst forever (cf. Num 20:11). Jesus is
“Our Mediator, whose blood bleeds more insistently than Abel’s (Heb 12:24). His
eternal sacrifice is the highest and most consistent prayer. Hence, the
Eucharist becomes our highest form of prayer and worship, in which we
participate in the prayer of Jesus. How can our prayer fail when we pray with
Jesus?
This is the strong advice St Paul
gives in the second reading, “All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for
refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright.
This is how someone dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any
good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Bible remains our foremost prayer book. It’s an
unfailing guide to prayer. Like a rock, it sustains and revives prayer life. The Bible helps us to keep to keep to what we
were taught and know to be true, following the Sacred Tradition of the Church. Adulterated faith will definitely frustrate our prayer life.
Perseverance in prayer takes
courage. This is obvious in the parable of the persistent Widow and the unjust
Judge. Helpless and in need, she summoned courage and went to this judge, and
continually for a very long time. The power of the poor widow’s perseverance
summoned the Judge to judgement and sentenced him to grant the woman’s request.
Jesus promises us that God
answers His elect who persevere in calling on Him—though He delays, He will see
justice done to them speedily. He answers speedily because God is just, and He
answers according to what each deserves and at the right time. Once the time is
ripe, He does not delay. “But when the Son of man comes, will He find any faith
on earth?” (Lk 18:8). When God comes to deliver answers to our prayers, will He
still find an active faith ready to receive it?
New Churches, prayer groups, new
spiritualities, etc are emerging every day. These are signs of a faithless
generation. The current ideology that we hold on to our creed and also believe
in its seeming alternative is a disaster to faith and prayer. Such confusion is
a sign that we have not rested our praying hands on Christ the Rock but on
ourselves and our problems. Let us learn from Jesus and rest on Him as our Rock
of prayer just as Moses rested on the rock. God will answer us speedily.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Cathedral of 12 Apostles,
Garki, Abuja.
16 October, 2016.
