First Reading – Exodus 17:8-13 ©
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 120(121) ©
Second Reading – 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 ©
Gospel
Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18
Alternative Acclamation – Hebrews
4:12
The Gospel According to Luke 18:1 - 8
©
(NJB)
Listen!
All you people of the way.
God, the creator of the universe, God is not a miracle worker; God does not intervene in human events. God did not speak to Moses (Moses did not even exist), God did not cause water to flow from a rock in Horeb. God did not lead the people in the desert.
God is not a warrior, God does not grant victory in battle. God does not favor one nation over another, or one tribe or one man over his brother, and there is no such thing as magic. Moses had no special powers, there were no powers imbued in the object he called the staff of the Lord. God did not give Joshua the victory over Amalek., whoever he might have been, earned that victory for himself.
God had nothing to do with any of these events; none of these events even happened…they are allegories, they are myths and they do a disservice to the teaching of Jesus; they undermine Jesus of Nazareth who taught us to pray for those who persecute you, to love your enemy and to care for the stranger…he showed us the way.
Understand this.
You must pay close attention to what is written in the sacred text; the psalmist here is wrong, but is instructive even in error.
God will not intervene in this world, either to help you or to hurt you. God will not do this because God has made us free; our life in this world is radically free from divine coercion.
God will not guard you, neither will God give you away; God will not help you or hinder you in any way. God has made us all subject to chance, of random events and the intentions of people who or may not wish us well, who may or may not wish us harm, who may or may not know us at all or ever considered us in the choices they make, whose consequences we encounter.
Know this.
If you follow the will of God, giving your ear to the voice of God that is speaking in your heart, you will find peace; when you know that the story of our lives here on earth is not the end of our story. Our salvation is in the deliverance of ourselves, the fullness of our person, from this world to the next, where we are healed from the wounds we endured in our sojourn through time and space…there is refuge waiting beyond this world; God has promised it, and we express our faith in it by following Jesus in the way.
Consider the world at the time the epistle for today was written; the basic premise of its teaching may be true. It may be true that the person who is dedicated to God is fully equipped and ready for any good work…it may also be true that their dedication is soft, and they are not ready at all.
Nevertheless, the apostle begs the question; What God? Who’s God are you dedicated to?
Be mindful.
We are all sinners, we all live in error, even those closest to Jesus failed to understand his mission, betrayed him to the Sanhedrin who turned him over to the Roman’s; his best friends sold him out, rejected and denied him…it would be unwise for us to suppose that any among us can do better.
Dedication is not enough; a fervent love for God, for the Church, for the sacred text is not enough. It can never be enough if your understanding of those things, and if your understanding of God is in error…all of us live in error.
Therefore we must take great care with the things we say and do in the name of God, seeking wisdom in the spirit of truth, prudence in the spirit of love, and humility in all things. This is the way Jesus showed us; remember the life of Jesus and what he taught us about God; whom he called abba.
Ask yourself this: Is God glorious?
Understand this.
God is the creator of the universe, and the creator perceives the most exalted state as being as being in relationship to us, caring for us as a parent would. God desires that all of us come to this knowledge and through its acceptance to live in its light. There is hope in the knowledge of God, hope for ourselves and hope we have for those we love, hopes which are meant to be extended to everyone; even those we do not love…this is the way.
If you think that God has promised riches and glories as a reward for the saints; remember that the first will be last and the last will be first, and that riches are not counted in gold and silver and precious things. Divine riches are counted as love and friendship and the opportunity for service.
Be mindful!
The real presence of God is with you. God knows you, even as you know yourself. You dwell with God and God dwells with you, as God dwells in everyone…there is no distance between us.
In faith, and hope and love we endeavor to persevere, to endure the tribulations of life on earth; do not lose heart, or hope; trust in the goodness of your actions, even if you do not see them bear fruit; your good intentions may lay, like seeds in the soil, for uncounted seasons before they finally germinate, spread roots and raise shoots…what is good is never wasted.
Justice may come from people who have no interest in it. Nevertheless, a just result is a just result. Do not wait for justice but strive for it; persistence is its own reward.
Do not wait for God to deliver you from your troubles here on earth; be patient and keep to the way, seek justice through mercy, through love and kindness. This may not change your circumstances, but it will change you…you will find salvation there.
First Reading – Exodus 17:8-13 ©
As Long as Moses Kept His Arm Raised,
Israel had the Advantage
The
Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick
out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I,
meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did
as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and
Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised,
Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to
Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him
and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on
the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword
Joshua cut down Amalek and his people.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 120(121) ©
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
I
lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where shall come my help?
My
help shall come from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
May
he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No,
he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The
Lord is your guard and your shade;
at your right side he stands.
By
day the sun shall not smite you
nor the moon in the night.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The
Lord will guard you from evil,
he will guard your soul.
The
Lord will guard your going and coming
both now and for ever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Second Reading – 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 ©
The Man who is Dedicated to God Becomes
Fully Equipped and Ready for Any Good Work
You
must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your
teachers were, and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy
scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can
profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives
and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God
becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
Before
God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I
put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim
the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct
error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of
teaching.
Gospel Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18
Alleluia, alleluia!
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so
that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Alternative Acclamation – Hebrews
4:12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The
word of God is something alive and active:
It
can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
The Gospel According to Luke 18:1 - 8
©
The Parable of the Unjust
Judge
Jesus
told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose
heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of
God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming
to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time
he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God
nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow
her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And
the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God
see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays
to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done
speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
A Homily – The Twenty-ninth Sunday in
Ordinary Time (Year C)
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