29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 17:8-13
Timothy 3:14, 4:2
Luke 18:1-8
A. Text/Context
• Just heard from the gospel a parable about the necessity to pray w/o getting weary or w/o getting tired
• The example given in the parable is about the story of a wicked or corrupt judge
• We know very well the duties and obligations of a judge: to dispense justice after hearing the testimonies of both the complainant and the defendant
• But the judge in the parable doesn’t want to work, and worse, he does not believe in God and he has no respect for human beings
• In other words, given the example of a corrupt judge, useless, wicked and rotten to the bone there is no hope that justice will be dispensed to the complainant who is the widow in the story
• And this was the situation during the time of Jesus. The judges were appointed by the Roman emperor to settle conflicts among the people in the territories conquered by the Roman empire
• So their loyalty is Rome, and they are not Jews, so they do not care bisan ug magkagubot na sila
• As Romans, they do not believe in God, because their God is the emperor
• More often than not, justice is not dispensed because they do not care about the people
B. Human Situation
• This situation is used by Jesus to inculcate in the minds of his disciples that even though the judge is corrupt, in the end, he still gives justice to the widow not because he is doing his job but because he is so bothered by the widow who keeps pestering him
• He gave the decision so the widow will not disturb him anymore
• We can see, how brilliant and intelligent Jesus is, using a very negative situation, and something good comes out of it
• Jesus used the story to present God as somebody who is just, merciful, and compassionate who listens and grants our prayers
• If a corrupt judge even in a slow manner has dispensed justice to the widow in the end
• Then how much more of God who is so loving and forgiving and who can dispense justice fast and quick to all who plead to him day and night
• Dinhi mga kaigsoonan, ang Ginoo nagpasabot kanato nga ang Ginoo wala magpupakabungol sa atong mga pag-ampo
• We just don’t have to stop praying and pleading, entreating and supplicating, begging and imploring
• Sama gihapon kana sa anak nga magpapalit ug sapatos, magsigeg yawyaw ang anak, buntag udto hapon matuog na lang sa gabii sapatos lang gihapon ang gipangayo
• Tungod kay gilingogngogan na ang inahan, palitan na lang kay gisamokan naman
• We must storm heaven with prayers and God will listen to us
• We ask God to remember his promise to us, ask-given, seek-find, knock-open
• We must be persistent with our prayers
• Kung ang criminal, luog na kayo ug balatian maluoy pa man gani how much more of God nga maloloy-on kayo
• Let us never be tired of praying and let us patiently wait for God’s answer because God’s timing is always the perfect time
• We canot demand or dictate to God to grant our prayers in a manner or ways that we want them to be
• The ways of God are so different from us. Our disposition and attitude in prayer must be that of submission, surrender, and humility
• We are to be at God’s own disposal
C. Challenge
• This is the challenge of prayer. This is the challenge of the gospel today
• If we continue to pray, then there is always the hope that God will grant it sooner or later
• Look at the 1st reading when the hands of Moses are raised the Israelites will win the war. If the hands are down the advantage is in their enemy
• If we raise our prayers, our petitions, if we continue to pray we will emerge a winner in the end
• Prayers can make us victorious even if we encounter the most formidable problem that will arrive in our lives a s Christians
• Bisan gikapoy na ta, bisan gilaay na ta padayon lang gihapon kay ang tanan dili kana kawang, because God counts every effort that we exert
• You will be surprised at the turn of events if you continue to pray
• God is so merciful and compassionate, and he will relent, if we pray w/o ceasing
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