29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ex 17:8-13; 2 Tim 3: 14 – 4:2; Luke 18: 1-8
Dc. Larry Brockman
Faith! Faith is what all of us need to survive as Christians. Faith is what will sustain us in times of trouble. This morning, our readings are all about Faith. Now some people confuse Faith with knowing all about what we are supposed to believe about God. Indeed, we speak of our “Faith” as Christians and Catholics in terms of what we believe. But the real essence of Faith is something that is a lot deeper than that. Faith in God, first of all, is really all about our ability to believe what we cannot prove about God. Things like the certainty of the existence of God; the truth of the Trinity; the incarnation, or God becoming man in the person of Jesus; the mystery of how Christ being Crucified could ransom us from our sins; the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead; and Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God. We need to know all about these things, and we learn them from scripture and the Church, but we need to believe in them despite the fact that they can’t be proven using human reasoning. That is the first part of real Faith.
And then secondly, we need to show that we really do believe in them. That means more than just accepting them with a nod. It means living our life according to the pattern that Jesus set for us in the Gospel because that’s how he promised us a ticket to everlasting life. It does no good to give assent to something with our lips, but not with our hearts and minds and bodies. If we really have Faith, then we will be engaged in showing it.
Listen again to what Paul tells Timothy in the second reading: He says: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ . . . to proclaim the word, be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching”. That’s what it means to live your Faith. To proclaim God’s word whenever and wherever it is needed, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; and to minister to others by convincing them, reprimanding them, and encouraging them.
When you were Baptized, you were welcomed into the Church. And at that time, you made a Baptismal promise. For most of us, that promise was made on our behalf by our Parents and Godparents. Basically, that promise consisted of learning your Faith and living it out by evangelizing to others in word and deed; by spreading your zeal and commitment to the Faith. Yes, all of us were called in Baptism to go forth and teach all nations in our Faith so that all could share in everlasting life in Heaven.
When you are confirmed, you are confirming your commitment to the promise that was made on your behalf at Baptism. So, you see, your life as a Christian just begins with Confirmation; it doesn’t end with Confirmation. Your commitment means you will continue to grow in knowledge of your faith and in your ability to live that Faith with resolve and conviction.
Now in today’s first reading, we have a very interesting story about real Faith. Moses believes that he has been given special powers by God through his staff. And so, he believes that if he can hold that staff up during battle for all to see- that staff, which is a symbol of Faith in Israel- then no matter how bad the situation is with the enemy Amelek, his people will be saved. But when his resolve and that of his helpers Aaron and Hur, waivers just a little bit, and the staff somehow gets lowered, then Amelek begins to prevail over the Israelis. So, Moses, Aaron and Hur redouble their efforts to keep that staff held high no matter how tired they get.
There’s a very subtle distinction to be made here. You see, it isn’t the staff itself that was so important. The staff was just a symbol of the power of God. Rather, it was their belief that the power of God was with them. And they had to continuously demonstrate their Faith in the power of God in order for their Faith to sustain them.
It’s the same way with us. Our Faith needs to be strong and continuous. We can have all the knowledge of our Faith down pat, so much so that we can recall it at any time. But if we set it down and to the side by saying to ourselves “Well let’s get on with life, and when I need God, I will recall what I have been taught”,. meaning, let me pursue my own agenda for life without regard to how my partnership with God is affected, then we cannot expect our faith to sustain us. If we really believe it, we will live our Faith to the fullest, always holding it in our hearts and consulting God about everything we do in life. Because it is then that our Faith will always sustain us.
The message in the Gospel confirms this about our Faith. The persistent Widow is just that relentless and persistent in appealing to the judge. And as corrupt as the judge was, he responded to that commitment and tenaciousness. Our ever-loving God will certainly do as much and more. And so, that’s how our Faith can sustain us- through an absolute commitment to it. Through a persistent and consistent never ending partnership with God, continuous prayer and demonstration of our Faith, we can and will be shown the way even when the going gets tough. It may not be the way we would like, but the way will be shown to us, God’s way. But it takes real Faith, the Faith of a Confirmed Christian to guarantee our success.
