October 19, 2025
Twenty-ninth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 147
Reading
1
In those days,
Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
"Pick out certain men,
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."
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
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.
Moses'hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on.
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.
Responsorial
Psalm
R.(cf.
2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Reading
2
Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
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:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus told his
disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
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,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
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?
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?"
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101925.cfm
Commentary on Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy
3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8
Quoting
from today’s Gospel:
…will
not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?
Prayer,
and specifically prayer of petition, is the theme of today’s Mass. There are
many kinds of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, intercession and petition. There is
mental and vocal prayer. There is meditation and contemplation. We can pray
privately on our own or in the company of others. There is private prayer and
the public prayer and worship of the Church, which we call liturgy. Each one
has its time and place.
In today’s
Gospel, Jesus speaks about prayer of petition, asking God for what we need—as
opposed to just what we want or would like to have.
The First
Reading describes the prayer of Moses in time of battle. As long as he kept his
arms up, the Israelites were winning; if he let them down because of tiredness,
they would begin to lose. Eventually, his aides propped up his arms so that
they would have the final victory. Although it could be seen that way, this is
not really manipulation or superstition. Rather it is an expression of total
dependence on God—without him there would be no victory. Jesus told his
disciples at the Last Supper:
…apart
from me you can do nothing. (John
15:5)
The
widow and the judge
The Gospel is a parable about a judge and a poor widow who is seeking justice.
The point is that if even a totally corrupt person who cares neither for God
nor man can be made to yield to the pestering of a totally defenceless and
resourceless (no money to bribe) widow, how much more will a loving and caring
God take care of his children? The lesson, then, is to keep on asking.
Does that
mean we can keep asking for just anything? Some friends asked me once to pray
they would win the $50,000 jackpot at the local parish bingo. I half-jokingly
replied that this was an abuse of prayer! It was not a prayer that we could
seriously expect God to honour. And, if they had won, would that have been an
answer to their prayer or simply good luck?
The widow,
on the other hand, asked for something which God would certainly want for
her—justice. Jesus elsewhere compares God to a decent, caring parent. Would
such a parent give a child a stone when the youth asked for bread? Would a
parent give a scorpion to a child who asked for an egg? If even worldly parents
will give their children what they need, says Jesus, how much more will a
loving God see to the needs of his children?
On that
occasion, Jesus concluded his teaching by saying that God will always give good
things to those who ask him. Luke’s version says:
…how
much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13)
The
good things
What are these ‘good things’? How do we ask for the Holy Spirit? Surely it
means asking for those things which will bring us closer to God; what helps us
to know, love and serve him better; what helps us reach a deeper understanding
of his teaching. It means above all asking to know what is his will for us and
requesting the strength to carry it out. It is asking that his will become our
will so that there is a complete harmonising of the two. I want to do what God
wants me to do. His will and mine are one. And I end up doing what I want!
Isn’t that wonderful!
Another
way of reading the parable
When we read this parable about perseverance, we usually think of it in these
terms: God is the judge and we are the widow. This means we should persevere in
pestering God until we are given what we want.
But what
happens, asks Sister Melannie Svoboda, if we turn that around and say that we
are the judge and God is the widow? In some ways, this interpretation makes
more sense.
We, like
the judge, are basically unjust. Sometimes we, too, have no fear of God; that
is, we do not allow God to scare us into being good. Similarly, like the judge
we persist in refusing to listen to the cries of the poor all around us.
But God is
the persistent widow who will not go away. God keeps badgering us, refusing to
accept as final our no to love. God will persist until we render a just
judgement, that is, until we let the goodness out, until we learn to love. In
Genesis we are told we are made in the image and likeness of God.
Perhaps
our prayer could be: Dear God, Persevering One, make us more like you!
[The ideas
in the last section come from Sister Melannie Svoboda SND, Review for
Religious, Sept-Oct 1996]
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Sunday,
October 19, 2025
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures
with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection. Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice
in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the
poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two
disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness
to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and
peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father
and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 18: 1-8
A Key to the Reading:
This Sunday’s liturgy presents us with a text from Luke’s
Gospel concerning prayer, a theme dear to the heart of Luke. This is the second
time that this Evangelist quotes the words of Jesus to teach us how to pray.
The first time (Lk 11: 1-13), introduces the text of the Our Father and, by
means of comparisons and parables, teaches us that we must pray always
tirelessly. Now, the second time (Lk 18: 1-4), Luke has recourse once more to
parables taken from everyday life to teach us how to pray: the parable of the
widow and the judge (18: 1-8) and that of the Pharisee and the Publican (Lk 18:
9-14). Luke tells the parables in quite a didactic form. Each parable begins
with a brief introduction as a key to its reading. There follows the parable
and, lastly, Jesus himself applies the parable to life. This Sunday’s text only
narrates the first parable of the widow and the judge (Lk 18: 1-8). While
reading, it would be good to keep in mind the following: “What is the attitude
of each person involved in this parable?” A
division of the text to help us in our reading:
•
Luke 18: 1: A key given by Jesus for an
understanding of the parable
•
Luke 18: 2-3: The contrast between the Judge and
the Widow
•
Luke 18: 4-5: The change in the judge and the
reason for this change
•
Luke 18: 6-8a: Jesus applies the parable
•
Luke 18: 8b: A final provocative statement
The Text:
Then he told them a parable about
the need to pray continually and never lose heart.
'There was a judge in a certain
town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. 3 In the
same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him
And saying, "I want justice from you against my
enemy!" 4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself,
"Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person,
5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she
will come and slap me in the face." ' 6 And the Lord said, 'You notice
what the unjust judge has to say? 7 Now, will not God see justice done to his
elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to
help them? 8 I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done
speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten
our life
Some Questions
•
What pleased you most in this text?
•
What is the attitude of the widow? Or what
strikes you most in what she does and say?
•
What strikes you most in the attitude and words
of the judge? Why?
•
How does Jesus apply this parable?
•
What does this parable teach us concerning our
manner of looking at life and people?
A Key to the Reading
for a deeper understanding of the theme
•
The Historical Context:
When analyzing the historical context of Luke’s Gospel, we
must always keep in mind this dual dimension: the time of Jesus in the 30’s,
and the time of those for whom the Gospel is written in the 80’s. These two
times influence, each in its own way, the writing of the text and must be
present as we try to discover the meaning Jesus’ parables have for us today.
•
The Literary Context:
The immediate literary context presents us two parables on
prayer: praying insistently and perseveringly (the widow and the judge) (Lk 18:
1-8); praying humbly and realistically (the Pharisee and the Publican) (Lk 18:
9-14). Although they are different, these two parables have something in
common. They tell us that Jesus saw the things of life in a different way.
Jesus saw God’s revelation where others saw something negative. For instance,
he saw something positive in the Publican, who all said: “He does not know how
to pray!” And in the poor widow of whom it was said: “She is so insistent that
she even troubles the judge!” Jesus was so united to the Father that for him
everything was transformed into a source of prayer. Many are the ways we can
express ourselves in prayer. There are those who say: “I do not know how to
pray,” yet they speak to God all day. Have you come across anyone like this?
•
A Commentary on the Text:
•
Luke 18: 1: The Key to an Understanding of the
Parable
Luke introduces the parable thus:
“Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose
heart.” The words “to pray and not lose heart” appear frequently in the New
Testament (1 Thes 5: 17; Rom 12: 12; Eph 6: 18; etc). This was a feature of the
spirituality of the early Christian communities. It is also a point on which
Luke insists both in the Gospel and in Acts. If you are interested in
discovering this dimension in Luke’s writings, carry out this exercise: read
the Gospel and Acts and write down all the verses where Jesus or others are
praying. You will be surprised!
•
Luke 18: 2-3: The Contrast between the Widow and
the Judge
Jesus presents us with two persons
from real life: a judge who neither respects God nor persons, and a widow who
will not stop fighting for her rights before the judge. The simple fact that
Jesus presents these two persons reveals that he knows well the society of his
time. Not only does the parable present poor people fighting in court to have
their rights recognized, but it also shows us the violent contrast among social
groups. On the one hand, an insensitive and irreligious judge, and on the
other, the widow who knows which door to knock on to get what is owed to her.
•
Luke 18: 4-5: The Change in the Judge and the
Reason for the Change For a long time, asking the same thing every day, the
widow gets nothing from the insensitive judge. Finally, the judge, even though
“he had neither fear of God nor respect for man” decided to pay attention to
the widow and give her justice. The reason is: to be free of this constant
nuisance. A rather self-interested reason! However, the widow gets what she
wants! This is a fact of daily life and Jesus uses it to teach us how to pray.
•
Luke 18: 6-8: An Application of the Parable
Jesus applies the parable: “You
notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to
his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them?” Then
he adds that God well see justice done speedily. Were it not Jesus speaking, we
would not have the courage to compare God to a judge in their moral attitude.
What is important in the comparison is the widow’s attitude who, thanks to her
insistence, finally gets what she wants.
•
Luke 18: 8b: A Statement on Faith
At the end, Jesus expresses some
doubt: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” Will
we have the courage to wait, to be patient, even if God takes time to answer
us? We need much faith to go on insisting and acting when we see no result.
Anyone who expects immediate results will disappointed. Many of the psalms
speak of this hard and difficult insistence before God until he sees fit to respond
(Ps 71: 14; 37: 7; 69: 4; Lm 3: 26). When quoting Psalm 80. Saint Peter says
that one day for God is like a thousand years (2Pt 3: 8; Ps 90: 4).
•
A Deepening: Prayer in Luke’s Writings
•
Jesus Prays in the Gospel
The Gospels present us with a Jesus
who prays, who live in continuous contact with the Father. Jesus’ only wish is
to do the will of the Father (Jn 5: 19). Luke is the one who speaks most of the
prayer life of Jesus. He shows us a Jesus who prays always. Jesus prayed much
and insistently, so that people and his disciples too would do the same. It is
when facing God in truth that the person sees him/herself in its reality and
humility. Here are some of the moments when Jesus is praying in Luke’s Gospel:
•
Lk 2: 46-50: When he is twelve, he goes to the
Temple, his Father’s house
•
Lk 3: 21: He prays at his baptism and when he
takes on his mission
•
Lk 4: 1-2: At the beginning of his mission he
spends forty days in the desert
•
Lk 4: 3-12: When he is tempted, he faces the
devil with texts from Scripture
•
Lk 4: 16: On Saturdays, Jesus goes to celebrate
in the synagogue
•
Lk 5: 16; 9: 18: He seeks solitude in the desert
to pray
•
Lk 6: 12: He spends the night in prayer before
choosing the Apostles
•
Lk 9: 16; 24: 30: He prays before meals
•
Lk 9: 18: He prays before asking who people
believe he is
•
Lk 9: 28: In a crisis, on the Mountain to pray,
he is transfigured during prayer
•
Lk 10: 21: When the Gospel is revealed to little
ones he says: “Thank you, Father...”
•
Lk 11: 1: As he prays, he inspires the apostles
the desire to pray • Lk 22: 32: He prays for Peter, that he may have faith
•
Lk 22: 7-14: He celebrates the Paschal meal with
his disciples
•
Lk 22: 41-42: He prays and sweats blood in the
Garden of Olives
•
Lk 22: 40, 46: In his agony, he asks his friends
to pray with him
•
Lk 23: 34: When he was being nailed to the
cross, he asks pardon for his torturers
•
Lk 23: 46; Ps 31: 6: At the moment of death he
says: “Into your hands I commend my spirit”
•
Lk 23: 46: Jesus dies with the cry of the poor
on his lips
This list of quotations shows us
that for Jesus prayer was intimately connected with life, with concrete fact,
with decisions to be taken. To be faithful to the Father’s plan, he sought to
be alone with him, to listen to him. In difficult and decisive moments of his
life, Jesus prayed the Psalms. Like every other devout Jew, he knew them by
heart. Saying the Psalms did not quench his creative spirit. Rather, Jesus
invented a Psalm, that is, the Our Father. His life was a constant prayer: “At
all times I do what the Father asks me to do!” (Jn 5: 19, 30). That which the
Psalm says applies to Jesus: “... all I had done was pray for them!” (Ps 109:
4)
•
The Praying Communities in the Acts of the
Apostles
As in the Gospel, so also in the
Acts, Luke often speaks of prayer.The first Christians are those who continue
the prayer of Jesus. Here is a list, which in one way or another, speak of
prayer. If you look carefully, you will find other texts again:
•
Act 1: 14: The community perseveres in prayer
with Mary, the mother of Jesus
•
Act 1: 24: The community prays so as to know who
will take the place of Judas
•
Act 2: 25-35: Peter quotes from the Psalms in
his homily
•
Act 2: 42: The first Christians are faithful in
prayer
•
Act 2: 46-47: They go to the temple to praise
God
•
Act 3: 1: Peter and John go to the temple to
pray at the ninth hour
•
Act 3: 8: The healed lame man praises God
•
Act 4: 23-31: The community prays under
persecution
•
Act 5: 12: The first Christians stay at
Solomon’s gate (temple)
•
Act 6: 4: The apostles devote themselves to
prayer and the service of the word
•
Act 6: 6: They pray before imposing hands on the
deacons
•
Act 7: 59: When he is dying, Stephen prays:
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”
•
Act 7: 60: Then Stephen prays: “Lord, do not
hold this sin against them”
•
Act 8: 15: Peter and John pray that the converts
may receive the Holy
Spirit
•
Act 8: 22: The sinner is told: Repent and pray
that you may be forgiven
•
Act 8: 24: Simon says: “Pray to the Lord for me
yourselves so that none of the things you have spoken about may happen to me”
•
Act 9: 11: Paul is praying
•
Act 9: 40: Peter prays for the healing of
Tabitha
•
Act 10: 2: Cornelius prayed constantly to
God
•
Act 10: 4: Cornelius’ prayers are heard in
heaven
•
Act 10: 9: At the sixth hour, Peter prays on the
roof of the house • Act 10: 30-31: Cornelius prays at the ninth hour, and his prayer
is heard
•
Act 11: 5: Peter tells the people of Jerusalem:
“I was praying”!
•
Act 12: 5: The community prays when Peter is in
jail
•
Act 12: 12: Many people are gathered in prayer
in Mary’s house
•
Act 13: 2-3: The community prays and fasts
before sending Paul and Barnabas
•
Act 13: 48: The pagans rejoice and glorify the
Word of God
•
Act 14: 23: The missionaries pray to appoint the
coordinators of the communities Act 16:13: At Philippi, near the river, there
is a place of prayer
•
Act 16: 16: Paul and Silas were going to prayer
•
Act 16: 25: At night, Paul and Silas sing and
pray in prison
•
Act 18: 9: Paul has a vision of the Lord at
night
•
Act 19: 18: Many confess their sins
•
Act 20: 7: They met to break bread (the
Eucharist)
•
Act 20: 32: Paul commends to God the
coordinators of the communities
•
Act 20: 36: Paul prays on his knees with the
coordinators of the communities
•
Act 21: 5: They kneel on the shore to pray
•
Act 21: 14: Before the inevitable, the people
say: God’s will be done!
•
Act 21: 20: They glorify God for all that Paul
has done
•
Act 21: 26: Paul goes to the temple to fulfil a
promise
•
Act 22: 17-21: Paul prays in the temple, he has
a vision and speaks with God
•
Act 23: 11: In the prison in Jerusalem, Paul has
a vision of Jesus
•
Act 27: 23ff: Paul has a vision of Jesus during
the storm at sea
•
Act 27: 35: Paul takes the bread, gives thanks
to God before arriving in Malta
•
Act 28: 8: Paul prays over Publius’ father who
had a fever
•
Act 28: 15: Paul gives thanks to God on seeing
the brethren in Pozzuoli
This list tells us two important
things. On the one hand, the early Christians kept the traditional liturgy of
the people. Like Jesus, they pray at home among the family, in community and in
the synagogue and together with the people of the temple. On the other hand,
apart from the traditional liturgy, there appears a new way of praying among
them in community and with a new content. The root of this new prayer comes
from the new experience of “God in Jesus and from a clear and deep awareness of
the presence of God in midst of the community: “In him we live, move and are!”
(Acts 17: 28)
Prayer: Psalm 63 (62)
A longing for God expressed in prayer God, you are my
God, I pine for you; my heart thirsts for you, my body longs for you, as a land
parched, dreary and waterless.
Thus I have gazed on you in the sanctuary, seeing your power
and your glory.
Better your faithful love than life itself; my lips will
praise you.
Thus I will bless you all my life, in your name lift up my
hands.
All my longings fulfilled as with
fat and rich foods, a song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.
On my bed when I think of you,
I muse on you in the watches of the night, for you have
always been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice; my heart clings to
you, your right hand supports me.
May those who are hounding me to death go down to the
depths of the earth, given over to the blade of the sword, and left as food for
jackals. Then the king shall rejoice in God,
all who swear by him shall gain recognition, for the mouths of
liars shall be silenced.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us.
May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word.
You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever
and ever. Amen.
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