29th Sunday of the Year (C)

Sunday Reflection (from) Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

Sunday, October 20, 2013 (edited for 10/19/2025)
Liturgical readings
Exodus 17:8-13
Psalm 121
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:12
Luke 18:1-8

"On the necessity of praying always and not losing heart."

Jesus told his disciples a parable
on the necessity of praying always
and not losing heart:


"Once
there was a judge
in a certain city
who respected neither God
        nor man.


A widow
in that city
kept coming to him
saying,


'Give me my rights
against my opponent.'


For a time
he refused,
but finally he thought,


'I care little
for God or man,
but this widow
is wearing me down.


I am going to settle
in her favor
or she will end
by doing me violence.'"


The Lord said,


"Listen
to what the corrupt judge
has to say.


Will not God
then do justice
to his chosen
who call out to him
day and night?


Will he delay long over them,
do you suppose?


I tell you,


he will give them
swift justice.


But when the Son of Man comes,


will he find
any faith on the earth?"

27th Sunday of the Year (C) - October 3, 2010 (edited for 10/19/2025)

"The necessity of praying always and not losing heart."

The gospel for the 29th Sunday of the Year (C) speaks about the parable of the persistent widow. The parable begins with a widow seeking the help of a judge to assist her in her case. But the judge only ignored her because of his lack of respect for God and man. The widow, however, was very persistent. So persistent was she in entreating the judge to give her the rights she justly deserves against her opponent, that the judge was forced to relent. This widow did not give up but was intent on her goal to continue her efforts until eventually they were "wearing the judge down". If the judge had not acted on her insistent plea, he may have ended up a victim of the widow's "persistence".

Studies in scripture classifies the poor in biblical times into the following groups: the widows, the orphans, women and children, the sick (especially the lepers) and the sinners, and the foreigners. These groups are often mentioned in the Old Testament. They are the ones defended by the prophets sent by God. In the New Testament, these groups are still present, and they are exactly the people Jesus helps - people who cry out to Jesus, call His name out loud, or fight their way through the crowds to reach Him. Jesus never fails to grant them the attention they need, unless there would be some initial hindrance because of race or taboo. But, eventually, when a member of these groups exhibit a faith greater than any one in Israel, Jesus attends to their plea. For the mission of Jesus is to:

Bring glad tidings to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
recovery of sight to the blind
and release of prisoners" (cf. Luke 4:18)

In anyone's journey of faith, one might be faced with a situation, not exactly like, but similar in degree of intensity, to the widow in the parable. Jesus gives us the key to unlock the solution to such a difficulty or problem: persistence in one's prayer life. Like the widow in the gospel parable, as we follow the strength of the widow's persistence by a life of prayer and consistent action, God's grace eventually arrives. Perhaps not at the time we desire, but in His time. A strong persistence is one that is combined with patience and determination. And while one's prayer is not yet realized, other less important matters can be resolved with strategic patience. Also, while we continue to pray, one's level of faith and confidence in God grows, and eventually that level of faith becomes strong enough to receive the answer to the prayer you have always prayed for.

And while one has been waiting and working for the answer to his prayer, a virtuous path is lined up and paved for him: one of prayer, persistence, patience, faith, confidence, and productive actions that eventually produce the good one has prayed for persistently.

(from the Classics of the Church)

"Only he who perseveres in asking, seeking, and knocking, will receive, will find and will enter. It is not enough to ask God for certain graces for a month, a year, ten or twenty years; we must never tire of asking. We must keep on asking until the very moment of death..." (St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, paragraph 145, "Secret of the Rosary")

28th Sunday of the Year (C)

Reflections : 28th Sunday of the Year (C) - October 10, 2010 (edited for 10/12/25)
Liturgical readings
2 Kings 5:14-17
Psalm 98
2 Timothy 2:8-13
Luke 17:11-19

"Your faith has been your salvation."

The gospel for the 28th Sunday of the Year tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers. As Jesus healed all of them, only one of the lepers came back to Jesus. This leper who was cured from his infirmity "threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus, and spoke his praises". Jesus took this occasion to ask him, "what about the other nine? Were not they made whole also?" But the healed leper did not answer. His gratitude was so great that his attention was to keep his eyes on the healer who made him whole again. Then Jesus opened his eyes to the truth that it was his very faith in Him that saved him from his sickness.

An author of a Catholic commentary on the gospel of Luke, Karris, wrote that the focus of this story was not so much the healing miracle of the ten lepers, but the teaching of Jesus on the value of gratitude. Karris continues to say that the experience itself of the cure did not save the leper: it was his returning and praising God in faith that saved him. By this interpretation, Karris helps the readers of the gospel understand a deeper Christian truth. Any experience of the miraculous is not salvation itself. Salvation is effected by our continuous acts of faith in Jesus as the Healer not only of our physical ills, but even more important, the ills of our soul.

In a very scientific world filled with both medical and technology advancements, some people may think that healing is only on the level of the physical. But every person's soul needs healing also. Some medical scholars believe that physical ailments are often caused by the sickness of the psyche - the soul. If the psyche is healed, then the physical infirmity begins to heal also. What factors can cause sickness? One cause is simply imbalance. A week of intense work and activity can make the mind, heart, soul, and body so drained and without energy. This is why Jesus in other passages of the gospels tells His apostles to come over to a deserted place to rest and to pray. Too much activity can fill one's soul with a noise that not only distracts from the "One thing necessary", but can bring so many illnesses that can be chronic if not checked. When the noise and the chaos of the world invades our soul, siilence is one key to the inner healing of mind, heart and soul. Fr. Pierre-Marie Delfieux in his book, "In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God", says:

'When you are troubled, tempted or tired, silence will set things right. It will teach you self-control, restraint, self-mastery..."

When after a day's work one takes time to quiet down and settle in a silence that makes one aware of God's presence, then one can see the truth that indeed, He is the Divine Physician. He sets things right and puts our work and life in the proper balance needed to be healthy, strong, and useful, to contribute within one's means, to the building and extension of His Kingdom here on earth.

27th Sunday of the Year (C)

Sunday Lectionary Readings from Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)
October 6, 2013 (edited for October 5, 2025)
Liturgical readings
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Psalm 95
2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Luke 17:5-10

"We have done no more than our duty."

The apostles said to the Lord,


"Increase our faith."


and he answered:


"If you had faith
the size of a mustard seed,
you could say to this sycamore,


'Be uprooted
and
transplanted into the sea,'


and it would obey you.


"If one of you had a servant
plowing or herding sheep
and he came in from the fields,
would you say to him,


'Come and sit down at table'?


Would you not rather say,
'Prepare my supper.
Put on your apron
and wait on me
while I eat and drink.
You can eat and drink afterward'?


Would he be grateful
to the servant who was only
carrying out his orders?


It is quite the same
with you who hear me.


When you have done
all you have been commanded to do,
say,
'We are useless servants.
We have done no more
than our duty.'"

Scripture verses from the lectionary readings:
"Let us kneel before the Lord who made us...for he is our God." (Psalm 95)
"With the strength which comes from God bear your share of the hardship which the gospel entails." (2 Timothy)
"The just man, because of his faith, shall live." (Hebrews 1)

27th Sunday of the Year (C) - October 3, 2010 (Edited for 10/05/2025)
Liturgical readings
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Psalm 95
2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Luke 17:5-10

"Increase our faith."

In reading the New American Bible translation, we will notice that the 27th Sunday of the Year (C)'s gospel is part of a wider passage entitled, "Four Sayings of Jesus". That is why at first reading, some may not see the direct connection between the themes of the two sayings mentioned in the gospel: "faith the size of a mustard seed" (in reference to faith) and "we have done no more than our duty" (in reference to servanthood).

Even if there is no direct connection between the two separate sayings of Jesus, one can discover a link between them if you focus your attention on the Person of Christ. Christ Jesus taught all about faith and servanthood by His very humble life-example and mission to the people Israel. And what better image would link the two themes of faith and servanthood, than by Christ's self-sacrificing act of obedience to God, His Father.

What does this faith and servanthood have to do with all faithful believers today? Most of the time, those with work and professional commitments, often can, unawarely, set aside his faith and values for a while because of the "objective reality" he has to deal with. In the context of this "objective reality", one would naturally shirk at the thought of servanthood. In the context of power and money, the secular values of domination, profit, and a worldly understanding of human rights is surely not in line with the teachings of Christ. But Jesus was clear in His mission: to show that it is in faith and service that guides us on the way of salvation He promises. And faith and service is what is really called for in a time of climate change challenges and socio-political disruptions.

Perhaps, this quote of Blessed John Henry Newman can help us reflect on this theme of faith and servanthood in the gospel in the context of a chaotic and disruption-filled world:

"Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene - one step enough for me."

Faith leads to a Light that guides all amidst the darkness of this world's challenges and disruptions. And that Light is always available to anyone in need of it. It is a Light that never sets, nor dims in the midst of any "dark night". It is a Light that produces in each soul a courageous faith, a certainty of God's abiding presence, and a sense of His holiness dwelling in families or communities working for the good of one another. This Light gives us the courage to move on in uncertain times...one step of faith and hope is enough everyday.