TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER
29C Sunday Homily, Luke 18:1-8, October 16, 2022
1) STORY
A
group of friends who enjoyed mountain climbing decided to climb to the top of a
nearby mountain. They started early in
the morning and at noon reached halfway and decided to rest before continuing
to climb to the peak. As they were
enjoying this break, several said that they were very tired and decided to
return home. Several enjoyed the quiet
and beauty of the spot so much that they decided to stay there rather than continuing
the climb. The remaining members decided to continue to climb the peak as they
had planned. In life, some start toward a goal but soon
quit. Some get half way to a goal and
give up. Finally, there are some who
persevere and reach their goal.
2) GOSPEL, LUKE 18:1-8
A)
THE UNJUST JUDGE
The
judge neither feared God nor respected any human being including the poor widow
who was asking for justice.
B) THE POOR WIDOW
She needed the judge’s help to get justice which
was her due. She had the power of perseverance and finally
received justice because she kept pleading to the judge until he finally helped
her.
3)
APPLICATION TO LIFE
A)
GOD
God
is our loving father who cares for us and knows what is best for us. He is the opposite of the judge.
B) PRAY
In the Our Father, Jesus teaches us to ask God for our daily bread and teaches us to ask for our material needs. When Jesus teaches us to ask God for the forgiveness of our sins, he teaches us to ask for spiritual blessings. We must follow the good example of the poor widow who had great perseverance. We must not set a time limit when we ask God for help. He listens to us and will always help us in his way.
4) CONCLUSION
In the story there were three types of persons. Those with no perseverance, those with some perseverance, and those with great perseverance. In the gospel the widow, through her great perseverance, achieved her goal. We must persevere in our prayers as God is our loving father who will always help us in his way.
