Twenty-Ninth Sunday (Year C)

 Twenty-Ninth Sunday, October 19, 2025

Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

(Image courtesy: Google)

A doctor was sharing his unique experience.  A patient came to his office seeking a hip replacement. His former cardiologist believed that the man's heart was too weak for him to survive a major operation. However, a new cardiologist had stated that while the man faced risks in undergoing surgery, his condition appeared stable. Therefore, he gave his permission to proceed. The patient soon passed all preliminary tests. Still, on surgery day all could sense the tension in the room among the nurses, anaesthesiologists, and the operating doctor.   The patient could likely sense this as well. He said, "Doctor, I know this is a busy time, but I would like to ask you for one moment to pray." In his 20 years of medical practice, the doctor felt that no patient had ever made such a request. All chatter ceased. With his heart monitor beeping in the background, the patient prayed for God to take care of him and all of us in the room who were trying to help him. He thanked God for the opportunity to get better, acknowledging the human limitations of the staff in trying to repair his fragile body. A sense of calm filled the room. The surgery was a success. In all his professional experience the doctor recalls that he had never felt more strongly than on that day the presence of God sent through the patient to him.

In the Gospel of today, Luke tells us that it is important to pray always without becoming weary of prayer.  Here we have the story of the unjust judge and a forlorn widow.  The judge is typically a powerful and influential person, whereas the widow is fragile, vulnerable, and helpless. Her persistence and constant pleading helped her receive the right judgment.

Let us analyse today’s Gospel: 

In Jesus’ story, there is a widow who kept going to a judge, asking for justice against her enemy. In those days, a widow was among the most helpless in society. She had no husband to protect her, no money, no social power. Yet, she refused to remain silent. She went again and again to the judge, and finally, he gave in, not because he was good, but because he was tired of her persistence.

Now, Jesus is not comparing God to this unjust judge. He is contrasting them. If even a bad judge can respond to persistence, how much more will a loving Father listen to his children who cry to Him day and night!

The point is simple: God may seem silent, but He is never indifferent.

We live in a time when people expect instant results, fast food, fast internet, fast delivery, and fast answers. But prayer does not always work that way. God is not a vending machine where we insert our prayer and immediately receive what we want.

Prayer is not about changing God’s mind. It is about changing our hearts. It keeps us connected to God, reminds us that we are not alone, and strengthens us to face life’s struggles.

Sometimes we pray and feel that nothing happens. But silence is also God’s language. When God delays, He is not denying. He is preparing. A mother does not give her child everything it asks for, not because she does not love the child, but because she knows what is best and when it is best.

So, Jesus tells us today: keep praying. Even when you don’t feel like it, even when you are tired, even when your faith feels weak. The persistence of prayer is a sign of faith, not a lack of it.

The first reading from the Book of Exodus beautifully complements this theme. The Israelites were in battle against the Amalekites. As long as Moses kept his hands raised in prayer, Israel had the upper hand. But when he grew tired and lowered them, the enemy began to win. Seeing this, Aaron and Hur came to his side, supported his hands, and kept them steady until the victory was won.

This is a wonderful image of prayer within the community. Moses could not do it alone. He needed others to support him.

In our own lives, we too need one another. When we are tired, when our faith is weak, when we feel like giving up, we need the faith of others to lift us up. That’s why we gather as a community, to pray together, to strengthen each other, to remind one another that God has not abandoned us.

The Church is not a place for perfect people but a family where tired hearts find strength.

We live in a world where many have stopped praying. Some say, “What’s the use? Nothing changes.” Others are too busy, too distracted, too self-reliant. But the absence of prayer creates emptiness. It is like cutting off oxygen to the soul.

In families, we need to bring back prayer, even a simple prayer before meals, or a short “Thank You, Lord” before sleep. In our communities, we must become witnesses of faith through our persistence in prayer.

Prayer is not magic; it is a relationship. And every relationship grows through communication. The more we talk to God, the more we know His heart.

The Heart of the Message- The widow in the parable teaches us three things:

   -Faith that does not give up.

    -Hope that endures delays.

    -Love that keeps seeking God.

   -She did not allow her situation to silence her. She kept knocking on the door until it opened. That is what Jesus asks of us: keep praying, keep trusting, keep hoping.

God listens. Maybe not in the way we expect, but always in the way we need.

As we celebrate this Sunday, let us remember that persistence in prayer is not about repeating words, but about holding on to faith.

When life becomes heavy, when we feel forgotten, let us look at Moses on the mountain and the widow before the judge. Let their stories remind us that God never forgets His people.

So today, Jesus whispers to each of us: Don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep believing. I am listening.

May our prayer rise to God like the widow’s voice, humble, steady, and full of trust. And may He find in us the kind of faith that never gives up.

Happy Mission Sunday