16 October 2022

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s Scripture readings offer us several points for reflection on what our prayer ought to look like as Christians, beginning with the first reading (Exod 17:8–13). This description of the battle between Israel and Amalek may not sit well with us for the violence it contains. But if we approach this text as a parable on prayer, confident that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful . . . for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16), it can yield an important insight: prayer is a matter of life and death. Aaron and Hur must support Moses’ arms raised in prayer in order that the Israelites might defeat the Amalekites; otherwise, Israel will be destroyed. If, as Saint Paul says, “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities . . . [and] the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:12) then we too are in a life-or-death struggle, but one where the stakes are even higher, since it is spiritual life or death. It is worth reflecting on whether we ourselves come to prayer with this sense of urgency and intensity. 

Approached from this light, the figure of the persistent widow in the Gospel (Luke 18:1–8) gains greater definition and clarity. Since she is a widow and without support in her culture, her case before the dishonest judge may also be a matter of life and death, and this explains her perseverance and determination. And of course, the great disanalogy between the dishonest judge and God leads to Jesus’ conclusion: it is not God’s unwillingness to answer that is the problem—for the Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom—but rather that we might grow weary from lack of faith.

Meditating on these examples from the Scriptures today, let us ask our heavenly Father for the gift of perseverance in prayer, that we might always ask for the spiritual goods we so desperately need, approaching God in faith and confidence.