Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings

“Be Persistent, Whether It Be Convenient or Inconvenient”

It is said that prayer is communicating with God in a relationship of love and trust. Last Sunday, our readings talked about prayers of praise and thanksgiving — our response to God’s healing touch in our lives. This Sunday’s readings focus our attention on the prayers of petition for ourselves and others, and our persistence in praying to God. If even the dishonest judge would grant the persistent widow her request, how much more then, will our God of Love and Mercy respond to our prayers.

In our first reading (Exodus 17:8:13), we hear the story of the Israelites who were fighting a battle with Amalek after being attacked at Rephidim. Only when Moses’ arms are outstretched were the Israelites successful in battle. They prevailed in their battle only because of God's mercy at the prayers and persistence of Moses.

In our Epistle reading (2 Tim 3:14-4:2), St. Paul continues to instruct his protégé’ Timothy to remain faithful to what he had learned from the Scriptures and charged him to be persistent in his pastoral duties of proclaiming the Gospel. Paul reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching.

In our Gospel reading (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus instructed His followers on the importance of persistence in prayer and faithfulness. He told them the parable of the persistent widow, who wore down the dishonest judge with her persistence. Surely God, who loves us, would do no less.

At times, we can lose heart and give up too easily in our prayer and our religious devotion, expecting results in our time and manner instead of God's. Our ultimate prayer is for salvation, and in that we must always remain steadfast and hopeful, and trust in God’s plan. May God grant us not only persistence in prayer, but also patience and trust.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101925.cfm