29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Oct 20
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Ex 17:8-13
"As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight."
A reading from the Book of Exodus
8 Then Amalek[a] came and waged war against Israel in Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. 12 Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset. 13 And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
SECOND READING - 2 Tim 3:14-4:2
"So that one who belongs to God may be equipped for every good work."
A reading from the Second Letter to Timothy
14 But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, 15 and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 [a]All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,[b] 17 so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
[c] 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: 2 proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 18:1-8
"Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?"
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
1 [a]Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 3 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ 4 For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 5 [b]because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 6 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 18:1-8)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God calls everyone to be vigilant and persevere in prayer to God.
He will bestow blessings and spiritual graces upon each person according to their fervent pleas to Him, for He understands all human thoughts, actions, and deeds, and hears every prayer and supplication that humanity offers to Him.
God is a loving Father; He always shows mercy to everyone and does not wish for any soul to be lost to Satan.
Therefore, He calls on everyone to be vigilant, to persevere in praying to God, to be intimately united with Him through prayer, like a little child with God the Father full of love and mercy.
He will answer our prayers, just as in today's Gospel, where the widow fervently pleaded with the judge to judge the case to bring her justice. Through the widow's perseverance and patience, even the unjust judge was compelled to act and deliver justice for her.
Through this, God wants to tell everyone that He is a God of love, a benevolent Father full of mercy. He will show favor and answer the pleas of all who are suffering, in distress, or in poverty – those who are calling upon Him - for He has declared: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
What God wants to tell each person is to have a soul of absolute trust and reliance on the God of love. Do not doubt. Do not test God by saying, “if You grant me this, then I will do this or that.” Such a prayer will not please God and will bring no benefit to humanity.
Therefore, for a person's prayers to be answered by God, they must resolve to trust absolutely in a God of love and live according to His teachings—that is, with the simple, sincere heart of a devoted child toward the Heavenly Father.
Today, God calls humanity to always have faith and hope in God, the Most High. He sees all things and will bestow all blessings upon those who remain faithful and loyal to Him until their last breath.
Listening to the words of Saint Paul, who called upon his faithful and continues to call each one of us to be faithful to the teachings of God, to courageously live and profess our faith in the unique God, a God of love, a God who came and dwelt among us, accompanying humanity through His Word, revealed in the Holy Scriptures. That Word remains a guiding light for all humanity to follow.
Each day, every person should resolve to live by and fulfill the teachings of God revealed in the Holy Scriptures. These Words must be inscribed in the heart and reflected in one's life, so that all may walk in the light and truth of God.
By faithfully following this path, humanity will attain eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven hereafter.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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