Thursday, October 17, 2019

Sunday Gospel Reflection, October 20, 2019: Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient...


What does it take to endure in faith?

  When, in the Book of Exodus, Moses enjoins Joshua to go out and engage Amalek in battle, Moses assures the young man that he himself will be stationed on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand.  The staff is an object of power; it represents the power of God active among the people of Israel.  As long as Moses remains steadfast in holding the staff high, confident in his prayerful relationship with God, God will support Joshua in battle.  The challenge is one of endurance, and of Moses’ enduring confidence in God to be with his people at all times.  Moses is sure, as Psalm 121 proclaims, that our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  We, too, are called to have confidence in the Creator of all things, to remain in prayerful relationship with God who is beside us, guarding us from all evil.  We are challenged to endurance in faith:  we must constantly lift up our eyes toward God, prayerful, trusting in his never-failing care.

  The theme of endurance is evident in Luke’s Gospel as well, as Jesus recounts the parable of persistent widow and the dishonest judge.  The widow herself demonstrates endurance, maintaining her course of prayerful petitions to the judge even though he rejects her time and time again.  Eventually, the judge gives in.  And if even a dishonest judge can render a just decision, how much more so will our just God respond with justice, particularly to those who call out to him day and night with prayerful respect of God’s power to effect good in their lives?  Jesus is encouraging his disciples not just to pray, and to pray always, but to cultivate a profoundly prayerful relationship with God that will sustain them in everything they face – and they need to be persistent in this, demonstrating endurance in faith, prayerful, always.

  In his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul echoes this need for endurance:  Remain faithful to what you have learned… Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient.  Scripture holds a central place as a source of our confidence and endurance; the Word of God is where we find solid ground to stand on, leading us to a prayerful awareness of and relationship with God.  Scripture speaks to this one reality to which we all belong, the reality of perfect love acting on our behalf, beside us, waiting for us to realize the mystery unfolding in our own lives.  We have but to endure in faith, prayerful, trusting in God’s love in all things.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source:  www.wordclouds.com

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