29^th Sunday Year C: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Perseverance in Prayer and Action

Readings: Ex 17:8-13; 2 Tim 3:14-4, 2; Lk 18:1-8

Intro: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is Mission Sunday — a reminder that the Church is missionary by nature and that each of us is called to participate in God’s saving work on earth. Let us, therefore, pray for the success of God’s mission on earth, especially for priests and religious in their missionary work.

Homily: Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, in today’s first reading, the Israelites had just crossed the Red Sea and were heading towards the Promised Land. But soon, they encountered a formidable obstacle: the Amalekites, who rose against them in battle, threatening to prevent them from reaching their God-destined goal – the Promised Land.

Had the Israelites been defeated in that battle, their story would have been from slavery to slavery. But when Moses discerned the danger, he said “no” to the enemy and matched his “no’” with both action and prayers.

Dear friends, each of us has our God-destined goals or promised land. It may be a calling, a vocation, a healing, a reconciliation, or a mission. But like the Israelites, we too face obstacles in the form of fear, temptation, discouragement, spiritual attacks, and worldly pressures. If we remain silent and passive, these obstacles may block our path or rob us of the future God desires for us. What Moses did should be a lesson for us.

So, what did Moses do? He sent Joshua and some other men to fight the enemies at the battlefield, while he himself climbed the hill to raise his hands in prayer to God. The battle was fought on two fronts: the physical and spiritual. Prayer and action must go together.

Dear friends, our problems, whether personal, familial, or societal, have both visible and invisible dimensions. Thus, we must engage them with both the strength of Joshua and the intercession of Moses. That means we must combine prayer and personal effort, trust in God with courageous action, if we want to have success in our daily struggles.

In a special way, today’s psalm reminds us that “our help comes from the Lord.” It is God who blesses our efforts and makes them fruitful. So, if we reject turning to God in our daily struggles, our personal efforts may not yield the expected results. In the first reading, we saw that when the hands of Moses grew weary and dropped, the Israelites began to lose in battle; their personal efforts stopped yielding the desired results. But when his hands remained raised in prayer, victory returned.

Dear friends, prayer must last as long as our struggles last. If we want to overcome the challenges of this world, we must not grow tired of praying. Any distraction in our prayer life can give the enemy an advantage.

Let us learn to lift our families, friends, and communities in prayer every day. When we persevere in prayer, they too will find strength in their battles against the powers of darkness. Our families need a Moses. Our country needs a Moses. Our institutions need people who will stand before God day and night, so that evil does not triumph over good. You can be that Moses.

In today’s gospel, Jesus reinforces this same message. He tells us to “pray always and not to lose heart”. Through the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus warns us not to be deceived by the “gospel of quick answers” that is so popular today. God is not a machine that can be manipulated at will. So, we should always be patient with Him whenever we kneel down to pray.

We must learn to say, even while waiting, that “God’s time is the best.” Sadly, some give God ultimatums in prayer. Some tell Him, “If you don’t answer me today, I’ll go elsewhere.” But, dear friends, the Scripture reminds us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways” (Isaiah 55:8), and “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:25).

In today’s parable, Jesus teaches us that the kind of prayer that brings victory is persistent prayer — prayer that does not give up, even when the answer seems delayed. He may take time to open the door, like the judge in the parable, but He has assured us that He will surely answer us if we do not stop praying.

Have you been losing ground in your daily struggles? Try this form of prayer today — persistent, trusting, patient, with unrelenting personal efforts — and you will see the difference. Victory is not far from those who pray without ceasing.

Finally, today is World Mission Sunday. The Church invites us to support her mission with both our prayers and our material generosity. Let us lift up in prayer all missionaries who, often in difficult and dangerous conditions, proclaim the Gospel with courage and love. Let us also pray for the gift of vocation among our youth — that many may hear and respond to the call to serve Christ and His Church.

The Church’s mission and priests face many challenges in today’s world. Your prayers strengthen their spirit. Your material support sustains their work. Together, we become co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord.

May our hearts be open, our hands be generous, and our prayers be unceasing — so that the light of Christ may reach every corner of the earth.

Peace be with you.

Rev. Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 29^TH SUNDAY, YEAR C: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: LET'S BE FAITHFUL AND PRAYERFUL IN OUR CHRISTIAN MISSION

(Luke 18:1-8)

With the parable of the unrighteous Judge and the widow, Jesus taught His disciples the need to pray always and never lose heart. The woman never relented until the judge gave her attention. Thus, Jesus calls on us all to keep on calling on God night and day for God will not fail to vindicate us.

Meanwhile, it is not just about praying or pretending to be at prayers. Faith matters a lot.

Jesus wants us not to stop praying. He wants us not to think God is delaying. He assures us that our prayers will be answered. He encourages persistence and faith. Put your whole faith in God. He is your all. Depend totally on Him. He will not disappoint you. Those who put their trust in Him are like mount Zion that cannot be shaken. Do not allow your faith to be shaken up and down by doubt, fear, weakness or sin. The Lord knows what is good for us and when best to give it to us. But He wants us to know Him first through prayers, to encounter Him first through being with Him, and to commune deeper with Him via the media of spiritual communication which is prayers. God wants a living relationship with us. Let us not be selfish in praying; Just trying to get what is good for us. Oh no. Let's also give God a listening ear to hear what the Lord God has to say, His is the sweet voice that speaks of peace to His friends. May God speak liberation unto you, salvation to your life, wisdom to your ignorance, love to your marriage, fruitfulness to your barrenness, stability and direction to your crisis, progress to your business, growth to your spirituality, calm to your troubled soul, open door to your closed doors, success to the work of your hands, fulfilment to your dreams and favourable answers to the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today in a very special way, we celebrate the world mission Sunday.  This is a day set aside yearly for Catholics all over the world to renew their commitment to the missionary movements. This celebration was created in 1926 by pope Pius XI as a day for prayers for missions. As we are called to pray endlessly in the Gospel, let us not forget to pray fervently for mission and be part of the mission of the Church.  Let us not for that as pilgrims on earth we are on a mission. Our mission here is to know Christ and make him known all over the world; We are invited to get involved in propagating Christian Education; We are encouraged to financially support the mission of the Church; We are encouraged to engage in digital evangelization and reconversion of the world. And finally, we are called upon to pray for the success and safety of missionaries in mission lands and places where Christians are persecuted for their faith in Christ.

Let us therefore accompany the Church in bringing hope to the hopeless, joy to the broken-hearted and justice to those facing injustice. May God bless His word in our hearts. AMEN

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh