KEEP YOUR HANDS RAISED: THE STRENGTH OF PERSEVERING PRAYER
Homily for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch Bible Texts: Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:2; Luke 18:1-8 Among the four Gospels, the Gospel according to Luke contains the most extensive teachings of Jesus on prayer. The first instance was when the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and He gave them the Our Father, to show us that true prayer means seeking God’s will before our own. With the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector which we read some Sundays ago, Jesus taught us that the attitude of humility is essential in prayer. Through the story of the ten lepers which we read last Sunday, Jesus taught us the place of gratitude in prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving. Today, in continuation of His lessons on prayer, Jesus teaches us another vital aspect - the need to persist in prayer. In the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), He presents the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. The widow’s continual pleading eventua...
