Video Gallery

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Go to Video Gallery Added Oct 20, 2019 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//www.allsaintschurch.com/apps/embed/?v=227614" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Deacon Jim Marschall October 20, 2019

Show Transcript

persistence we hear the word only in the second reading but it is consistent throughout today's readings my friend mr. Webster. find to persist as to remain unchanged or fixed in a specific character condition or position today's reading from this gives us Moses being persistent in his position of Prayer specifically arms up today's Psalm gives us God being persistent in his character the one who is our help and all things the second reading gives us Saint Paul encouraging his friend and spiritual son Timothy to be persistent in the condition of proclaiming the whether it is convenient or inconvenient and finally the gospel we have the Widow a person of no power and no status whatsoever persistent in her position of seeking adjust resolution adjust decision from this judge a person who has plenty of power and status but it's going to be just honest persistence to remain unchanged or fix in a specific character condition or position now the obvious allegory in this arable is that we are the Widow and God is the judge it certainly seems wrong to equate god with an unjust dishonest judge however the purpose not to compare but to contrast the dishonest judge is used to heighten the point if this dishonest guy in a position of power can be convinced by the distance of a widow a person with no power and no status then certainly God who is good is going to do what is right and what is just in responding to his children out of love now we do have to be careful here easy interpretation is if I persist in prayer if I passed her and Badger got enough he's going to give me what I want right well let's take a look at what the Widow was actually asking for she's not saying give me what I want render a just decision for me against my adversary I would imagine that someone in this position is going to feel that they are right and that their desired outcome is just basically she's telling this guy to do is judges are supposed to be impartial they are the ones who are supposed to see to it that Justice and right are done and preserved now that's it take a look at the parable in a little bit different way with the Widow rather than the judge being our image for God God after all is the just one he is not dishonest he is and just we often lose sight in our lives of his ways are free will are selfish inclinations the broken world that we live in can really get in the way some times of us seeing things from God's point of view and since prayer is a two-way relationship it's not outrageous to think of God as being persistent with us now it's going other step will go back to being the Widow and this time the judge is those sources of Injustice that we encounter in our world the goal of a life of prayer is to become more like God to know love and serve him to do his will and to know his ways and to be and to do ourselves what is right and just we are Disciples of Christ are called to be God's agents in the world to do what is right and just Saint Teresa of Avila put it this way Christ has no hands but yours no feet but yours yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good yours are the hands with what she to bless his people and I'll refer back again to St Paul speaking to Timothy I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus proclaim the word be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenience convinced reprimand encouraged to all patients and teaching these are words of action and this Parable is a call to both persistence in prayer and in action persistence in prayer draws us closer to God and opens our hearts and our minds are eyes and our ears his will and his ways persistence in action as his disciples in the world God hands and feet and voice is how we advocate for what is right and just we use terms like respect for life and social justice the common good and the Dignity of the human person being in right relationship with God and one another all of this points to living the gospel following the model of our Lord Jesus Christ we are to transform the world according to the will of God according to the kingdom of God and we must do so from a posture of Prayer I'll certainly it is good for us to pray boldly as they say to ask God for what we want wrong with that but the heart of perfect prayer comes from the perfect rare The Lord's Prayer die kingdom come thy will be done also had the heart of perfect where is listening again it's that to a relationship we listen for the voice of God and it is most often heard in the ordinary goings-on of life not necessarily in miraculous Supernatural waves but wouldn't it be nice if you had just woke up like Noah Noah build an ark yes Lord what were those measurements again prayer that does not lead to action is incomplete at best action that is grounded in prayer that is not grounded in prayer excuse me action that is not grounded in prayer risks being all about me and my will in my agenda persistent prayer helps me to see things as God would have me see them it gets my selfishness in my limited Vision out of the way I don't remember to a few of the other lessons from the other scriptures we heard today Exodus there's a message there that tells us that we do not go it alone and that is true we are a community of disciples in this world Moses was helped by Aaron and Hur in his position of prayer we are all in this together the song reminds us where our true help comes from and out of which everything we do should our help is in the Lord and Paul to Timothy again States demand a very clearly proclaim the word be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient it all comes down to that baptismal call that we all have it is a response to the extravagant mercy and love given to us in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Listed in LITURGY

Video Gallery

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Popular Videos