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The Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

In our first reading today, taken from Exodus 17:8-13, Israel had the better of the fight against its adversary, Amalek, as long as Moses’ hands were outstretched in the form of a cross. This posture of prayer, known as the orans, was a popular figure painted on the ancient walls of the Christian catacombs.

The man whom Moses commanded to go out and fight Amalek was Joshua: “So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle” (v. 10). Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name: Joshua, which means “God saves” (See Matthew 1:21).

Here, in the second book of the Bible, foreshadowings of Jesus and the victory of his Holy Cross are provided for our instruction. This is why St. Paul says in our second reading: “from infancy, you have known the Sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). In this passage, Paul speaks solely of the Old Testament, for the New Testament had not yet come into existence. The prophecies and foreshadows of Jesus were – and still are – numerous and powerful.

As Joshua “mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword,” so Jesus battled Satan not with the sword, but with sacrificial love nailed to the Cross. By his perseverance on Calvary, Jesus’ outstretched arms won eternal life for all who obey him in faith.

In the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus “told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” As our head and model, Jesus has paved the way. Prayer was not a peripheral activity for our Master. Throughout his Gospel, Luke shows Jesus praying more than he speaks of prayer. Biblical scholars often refer to the Gospel of Luke as the Gospel of Prayer (See Lk 3:21; 6:12-16; 9:18-20).

So, why should we persevere in prayer? The answer is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

For we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly, but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing. This tireless fervor can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, & persevering love. (2742)

In one of his Fourth Century homilies, the famous bishop of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom said: “It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop… while buying or selling… or even while cooking.”

Seventeen centuries later, these words are as relevant as ever to us, as are those of today’s Gospel. Joshua desires to win the battle over sin in our lives. It’s time for us to imitate Moses, to lift our holy hands in prayer and to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).