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 eventually moved a man who neither feared God nor respected anyone. Jesus uses this unlikely story to reveal something profound about God: if an unjust judge can respond to persistence, how much more will a just and loving Father listen to His children who cry to Him day and night! Prayer, therefore, is not an attempt to wear God down or manipulate Him, but a journey of faith that keeps us open, trusting, and dependent on His timing and wisdom.

The first reading from Exodus (17:8-13) beautifully illustrates this persistence through the story of Moses interceding for Israel during the battle against Amalek. As long as Moses’ hands remained lifted in prayer, Israel prevailed; when he lowered them, the enemy gained strength. Here we see that victory was not won merely by swords and strategy but by steadfast prayer. Also, when Moses grew weary, Aaron and Hur stood by him, supporting his hands until the sun set. This image captures the communal and intercessory dimension of prayer - we do not pray alone. When our faith weakens and our hands grow heavy, we need the support of the faith community to help us remain steadfast in prayer.

In the second reading (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2), St. Paul exhorts Timothy to remain faithful to the Scriptures and to proclaim the word of God “whether it is convenient or inconvenient.” This same call to perseverance applies equally to prayer. The Word of God nourishes our faith and sustains our hope when answers seem delayed. Persistent prayer is strengthened by the Word; it teaches us to interpret God’s silence not as absence but as an invitation to deeper trust and surrender.

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus asks a haunting question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Persistence in prayer is ultimately a test of faith. It reveals whether we believe in God’s goodness even when He seems silent, whether we trust His wisdom even when His ways are hidden and different. To pray persistently is to keep faith alive, to keep our hands raised like Moses, our hearts humble like the widow, and our minds rooted in the Word like Timothy. 

Dear friends, let us never grow weary in prayer. The God who sometimes delays is not deaf; He is forming us. He delays not to deny but to deepen our faith. In the fullness of His time and according to His own will, He will answer, and our persistence will turn into praise. Amen.