Gospel: The readings this Sunday are about being persistent. Be persistent not only in bettering yourself, but also in prayer. Please see the homily and readings below.
Potluck: The next potluck after Mass will be October 31, the last Sunday of the month. All are invited and welcome to stay after Mass for fellowship and food. Bring your favorite dish if you can.
Flying: Last week I was able to fly to Clarks Point, Igiugig, and King Salmon. I was also in Anchorage for three days.
Here are a couple pictures from may flight to Clarks Point this week. Fall is certainly here.
New Missal: I have some great information about the new missal.
Here is the first of several lesions about the new Roman Missal, which will be used next year for Advent, i.e. 2011
New Roman Missal Information:
Lesson 1 – The new Roman Missal will have biblical roots
The texts will express more clearly why we pray, why we hope, and how we present ourselves to God
This will create a greater connection of the Missal to the Lectionary
The prayers will express more nuances of meaning, reflecting a more extensive meaning and depth of the original Latin texts
The style will be more formal than ordinary conversation
The new translation will add a freshness to the sound of the Missal while avoiding needless repetition of well-worn words
This translation brings us into closer alignment with other languages translation (French, German, Spanish, etc.) throughout the world.
Have a fantastic week and see you Sunday, Fr. Scott
Homily, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Persistence, Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14—4:2; Luke 18:1-8
When I was looking for part time work during High School, I took some advice from my next-door neighbor, Buck Dyer. He said, “Scott, if you want to get a job, you have to be persistent.” So, I set my sights high…a box boy at Wagner’s Grocery Store. Then I made a plan. First, I learned that the manager’s name was Ron Lakey. Next, I visited Wagner’s everyday. I would walk right up to Mr. Laky’s office, knock on the door, and ask for a job. The fifth time Mr. Laky said, “Well Scott, I can see that I am not going to get rid of you, so…I might as well hire you.” I was overwhelmed with joy. I never gave Mr. Laky a reason to regret his decision to hire me. Persistence pays.
In the Gospel, the old widow was persistent, and it paid. She believed strongly about getting a just decision. After a while, the widow’s determination moved the corrupt judge to say, “Lady, I shall deliver a just decision for you, lest you finally come and strike me.”
In the first reading, when Moses raised his hands in the air, the Israelites fought better. When he lowered them, Amalek got the better of the fight.
So Moses had to be persistent in keeping his hands up. Ever held your hands up for any length of time…they get really tired. So, what happened? Moses’ arms began to get tired. Some of his warriors kept propping them back up again. The warriors saw Moses’ risen hands as a sign of never ending prayer to God. That motivated them to win the battle. Once again, persistence pays.
Jesus wants us to be persistent in prayer. What counts is not the length or quality of our prayer. What counts is that we are persistent. Start out small with maybe one Hail Mary or one our Father…but say it everyday. Then let God help you expand at your own pace. The result: Prayer keeps us centered on Christ and brings peace to our chaotic lives.
Mr. Laky put his trust in me and hired me at the grocery store because I was persistent. When we are unrelenting and determined like that old widow, even a corrupt judge may learn to trust us and take our good advice.
Normally, being persistent applies when we want to excel in school sports, get good grades, or land that perfect Job.
But it also applies to our spiritual lives. Jesus begs us to be persistent in our spiritual lives. For example, persistence in pursuing fairness will bring about justice. In struggling with our sins, persistence enables us to become holier people.
Persistence in praying to God does not necessarily change God. It changes us! Some think that prayer changes God’s mind; he then intervenes, and makes something good happen. That might be true, but here is a spiritually healthier way to think.
Persistence in prayer changes us. Prayer such as Fasting, abstinence, pilgrimages, and retreats change us. They make us more open to what God is really trying to tell us. We can then work with God to make good things happen.
So, keep those arms elevated in prayer. Then, take it from the Old Widow…be persistence, it pays (543 Words)!
Exodus 17:8-13 - At Rephidim, 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.
2 Timothy 3:14—4:2 - But you, 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.
Luke 18:1-8 - Then he told them 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?"
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