29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: True followers of Christ live a life of unwavering faith.
Theme: We live a life of unwavering faith when we do not grow weary in our prayers and in proclaiming God’s word
Promise: “The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever,” (Ps 121:8).
Reflection:
In the Gospel of the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus tells His disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He invites us to persist in prayer especially in times of difficulties, and not fall into desperation or discouragement. In the parable, Jesus says that if perseverance obtains justice from an unjust judge, how much more from a good and loving Father if we never give up in asking Him. Jesus tells us not to lose heart because God will always answer our prayers. Because of the Lord’s great love for us, we are assured that He will always hear us when we come to Him in prayer lifting up our needs. The Lord will grant our needs in a way that is best for us and in His perfect time.
In the same token, St. Paul echoes the teaching of Jesus by exhorting us to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (1 Thess 5:15-18). It is not merely to rejoice, pray and give thanks, but to do these constantly and always, regardless of the situation, because doing so would glorify the Lord, in our expression of praise, worship and thanksgiving.
There is an acronym ‘PUSH’ which stands for “pray until something happens.” Probably this is a good measure to determine if we have prayed enough. Persistence in prayer is not to be understood as trying to change God’s mind, as if God is unwilling to help us in the first place. It is actually us who need to change and for us to express to God, ‘not my will but your will, Lord.’ Having a steadfast and expectant faith will enable us to patiently wait until we receive the Lord’s response. We are also encouraged not to lose heart when the answer to our prayer is not as we expect. We have to develop a keen understanding and to realize that what we prayed for may not eventually be beneficial for us when it is not in accord with the plan of God for us.
Isaiah 55:8 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” God’s response to our prayers is that His plan is far greater than what we hope for. Oftentimes we are simply unaware that it may have been answered in another way, better than our expectation. We experience a deeper sense of joy and appreciation whenever we receive God’s gracious favors.
Prayer is a spiritual communion with the Lord that enables us to remain connected to Him. It allows us to remain in the state of grace so that we can sustain a spiritual relationship with the Lord in our life’s journey towards eternity in His kingdom. Our prayer is a solemn request for help which varies according to our physical, emotional and spiritual needs directed towards our most loving and compassionate God. Our persistence in prayer shows our humility and dependency on Him. He wants us to express our desires in prayers, so that we can rightly receive what He is prepared to give. Jesus gave us his words in scriptures which we can use to pray to God and it is in prayer that we will be able to proclaim God’s word to others.
Let us then faithfully persevere in prayer, putting our trust in the Lord and relying on His goodness and tender mercies. God never fails us as we are assured of this: “The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever,” (Ps 121:8).
Prayer:
Thank you Jesus for your word for this week. Thank you for reminding us to pray always without becoming weary. Keep us aware that you hear all our prayers and answer them in Your most perfect way and time. Continue to bless us with an open mind and heart to make us understand and realize that Your response to our prayers will always be the best for us far greater than what we expect. Lead and guide us as we pray to be with You and feel your presence always. In Your most loving and mighty name I pray. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:

1. Do I have an open heart to whatever comes after praying, or do I easily give up when my prayers seem to be unanswered?
2. How do I manifest my prayer life to encourage others to pray with persistent faith?
   This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
   October 16, 2022 (Sun) – Ex 17:8-13/ Ps 121:1-8/ 2 Tim 3:14-4:2/ Lk 18:1-8
   October 17, 2022 (Mon) – Eph 2:1-10/ Ps 100:1-2, 3, 4, 4-5/ Lk 12:13-21
   October 18, 2022 (Tues) – 2 Tim 4:10-17b/ Ps 145: 10-13, 17-18/ Lk 10:1-9
   October 19, 2022 (Wed) – Eph 3:2-12/ Is 12:2-6/ Lk 12:39-48
   October 20, 2022 (Thur) – Eph 3:14-21/ Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19/ Lk 12:49-53
   October 21, 2022 (Fri) – Eph 4:1-6/ Ps24:16/ Lk 12:54-59
   October 22, 2022 (Sat) – Eph 4:7-16/ Ps 122:1-5/ Lk 13:1-9
   “Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”