Reading from the book of Exodus Ex 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
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. 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.
Second Reading
Reading from the Second letter of St. Paul to Timothy 2 Tm 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
Thanks be to God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Heb 4:12
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
P: The Lord be with you.
P: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Lk 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.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
HOMILY
I remember a geography lesson from my school days that has stayed with me. It was about how rocks are shaped over time by the constant movement of the waves. The teacher explained that with each wave, little by little, the rock is formed and reshaped.
At first, it didn’t seem significant. But then I thought about how, when you visit the same rocky beach over many years, you begin to notice the changes. You might not see them from one summer to the next—but over time, the difference becomes clear.
Prayer works in much the same way. Each moment we spend with God is like each wave hitting the rock which shapes us. It does not change God but it changes us the way God intends to be for our good.
The waves represent our relationship with God, and we are the rock, slowly being formed and transformed through that steady, faithful rhythm of prayer.
Sometimes we can ask “Why would a God who loves us, apparently ignores our prayer to the point of seeming indifferent? Why is God silent? More than likely, it is our deafness to blame. We are distracted and worried and we often miss God’s subtle communication with us. Our Lord wants us to achieve something in us by having to wait.
When we wait God is giving us an opportunity to grow in various ways. We can grow in patience, learning that God’s timing is not ours. We can grow in humility realising that God is in charge and we are not. Additionally we can grow in confidence, realising that whether we receive our request or not, God knows what is best for us.
Consequently we are more at peace and willing to face all things, trusting in his providential care.
Perhaps the most important lesson we learn by waiting for God’s response to our prayer is to desire God above all things. Someone always satisfied and content feels no need for help thus no need of God. However when we come face to face with real need and acknowledge our insufficiency, we turn to God.
The purpose of prayer is not to change God’s mind but to change ourselves. Because we are hard headed like the rocks it takes time to change but with time we do change.
Prayer is the relationship with God – our lifetime journey of prayer is to answer the last question Jesus poses in this Gospel. Will He find faith in me?
Like Moses who despite imminent threats of the nomadic inhabitants who surrounded their journey to the promised land, did not give up; but with the help of Aaron and Hur he kept his arms outstretched for the people to prevail. He had faith in God.
Like the woman in the gospel who knew how to battle for her children and never grow weary to convince the judge who was worried more about himself and his honour than the woman.
The punchline is confidence in prayer means confidence in God and thus when we meet the Lord we can say: “yes, I had faith in you”.
BIDDING PRAYERS:
We are called to pray without ceasing. Let us call upon God’s Spirit to help us persevere in prayer.
Our prayer response is, “Be with us, Holy Spirit.”
- For all who are called to ministries of preaching and teaching in the church; may all bishops, theologians, homilists, and catechists be enriched by the gifts of the Spirit. We pray: “Be with us, Holy Spirit.”
- For persons who serve God’s people as spiritual directors and retreat ministers; may their companionship bring spiritual refreshment to all who seek deeper intimacy with God. We pray: “Be with us, Holy Spirit.”
- For all whose hands are lifted up to God on behalf of the sick; may our voices be raised for those who cannot pray in time of trial. We pray: “Be with us, Holy Spirit.”
- For the Christian community gathered in prayer at the eucharistic table; may our praise and thanksgiving for God’s goodness help us to grow spiritually. We pray: “Be with us, Holy Spirit.”
God, our Guard and our Shade, sustain your Spirit in us that we may call upon you in time of trial and give you thanks in all our joys. Hear our prayers through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
