TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C (MISSION SUNDAY) FIRST READING: EXODUS 17: 8- 13 RESPONSORIAL: PSALM 121 SECOND READING; 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-4:2 GOSPEL READING; LUKE 18: 1-8 TO SUCCEED WE NEED TO WORK AS A TEAM Next Sunday is a Mission Sunday. On Mission Sunday we are all invited to missionaries and to take the good news of Christ to all the people. The greatest mission we have is to defeat satan who is our enemy. In the first reading we shall see that we need to work as a team for us to defeat Satan. In the second reading, Paul writes to Timothy reminding him that the sacred scripture is the guide to his mission because whatever is in scripture is inspired by God. In the gospel reading we find out that perseverance is necessary when we pray to God. The first reading is about a fight between the Israelites (the chosen people of God) and the Amalekites that were posterity of Esau, who hated Jacob (Israel) because of the blessing. These were the first enemies of Israelites. The Israelites had a mission of defeating them by the help of God. In this mission, we see God calling various individuals for various services for the success of the mission.. Moses was an intercessor, pleading with God for success and victory. Joshua was the chief commander, commanding the soldiers. While Joshua had soldiers to help fighting Moses had Aeron and Hur to climb with him up to the mount to pray for the victory. Moses prayed while lifting up the rod that had done miraculous things ( struck the rock to get water for drinking-Ex. 17:6). This was to act as a banner encouraging the Israelites and to remind them that God had not moved away from them. Moses’ hands became heavy in praying. When he put his hands down, the enemy became stronger. The enemy becomes stronger whenever we get tired of praying. Whenever we engage in a spiritual fight, we ought to persist in prayer so as not to let our enemy gain strength. Aeron and Hur supported Moses to lift up his hands in prayer. And the hands of Moses remained steadily raised up. I want you to remember that Moses was chosen by God to be a mediator between God and Israelites. He spoke to God face to face. He received instructions from God of what to do in times of difficulties. But he still needed to be supported to lift up his hands in prayer. Have you lifted up your hands in prayer and got tired? Have you thought that your prayers alone are sufficient? –you need Aeron and Hur to support you regardless the relationship you have with God. The second reading from the second letter to timothy presents Timothy in Mission. Timothy should consider that the mission he is carrying out is not his own and that he is doing it for the one who sent him. He should therefore preach to people with conviction of what he knows. For him to know he needs to read the scripture with faith for it is in scripture that one learns the salvation that God provides. Thus, the Holy Scripture is the inspired word of God. In our mission today we need to allow God to speak to us through the Holy Scripture. The Holy scripture proposes that we preach through actions (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick etc) and through prayer. These two can make those we preach to bear witness to the good news of Christ. Our mission should target the most vulnerable in the society. You will agree with me that in his Gospel, Luke who was a historian, cites so oftenly the particular mission of Jesus to the vulnerable in the society. Jesus is using this vulnerable people to teach us persistence in prayer and having faith when we pray. For example; In Lk. 4:25-26 Jesus mentions a widow named Zarephath ,who welcomes and feeds Elijah during a famine. Her son is returned to life by Elijah. In Lk.7:12 Jesus is moved by pity and raises the only son of a widow of Nain. In the same chapter, verses 36- 50 a sinful woman anoints Jesus and is forgiven and today we get the parable of a widow fighting for her right against unjust judge. God is really present in our life story. He knows what we go through. We should therefore keep in constant dialogue with Him. Dialogue with God will reveal to us that what He has done for us by very far out-wighs the trials and temptations we have. He blesses us even when we don’t deserve His blessings. Our mission is a mission of prayer in Faith. He has assured us that He is with us always until the end of time, Mt. 28: 20. BR. EVANS .
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 08:33:01 +0000
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