Last Sunday, we learned through a “foreigner” that faith not only heals but also saves. This Sunday, October 20, 2013, in our Gospel reading from Luke 18:1-8, Our Lord gives us the example of a widow who - in faith - perseveres in prayer and thereby obtains what she asks for.
Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct. 20, 2013 (29C)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University
Sunday Mass Readings
Podcast of the Readings
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios
Prayer of the Hours
Burning Question: What does "pray without ceasing" mean?
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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
Book of Exodus, Chapter 17, Verses 8-13
1. Could Moses have kept his hands raised (or “prayed constantly”) without the help of his friends? Can you relate to this story in any way? Discuss ways you can let friends support you when you can’t manage something by yourself. And how about you: whom do you support spiritually?
2. In this reading some people were at battle and some were at prayer. The outcome of the battle was determined by the prayer. How important do you think prayer is to the success of your ministry?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 121: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
1. Our psalmist says that the Lord is beside you at your right hand. Speak of what it is that reassures you of the Lord's protection on your journey.
2. The Psalm is about the power of prayer and of trust in the Lord. Give an example of how you have persisted in prayer and obtained the Lord's help in overcoming difficulty.
Second Reading
Letter to Timothy Chapter 3, Verses 14-17, Chapter 4, Verses 1-2
1. What task does Paul lay on you in this reading? What instruction book does he give you to carry out the task?
2. Is proclaiming the Word of God central to all the activities of the Church? To your parish? To your life? How do you proclaim the Word of God in your work?
Gospel
According to Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 1-8
1. Jesus Christ is telling the story. What does he want to make clear to you about petitioning God? Discuss this statement: “When you pray for rain, take an umbrella” (Fr. Paul Coutino).
2. Jesus promises that God will answer our prayers speedily. Does that help your confidence? How does faith relate to persistence? How does this Gospel make you feel?
Online Sunday Bible Study Group
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“Our help is from the Lord.”
ReplyDeleteThe Psalm is a prayer for believers
when we are uncertain, when we face
the dangers of this world, or when we
encounter obstacles on our journey of
faith and works.
Where does our help come from?
As our psalmist says, it comes from the Lord.
Just as Moses raised up his hands and
obtained God's intervention on the side
of Israel (Sunday's 1st reading), so too the psalm
calls for us to look upward for God’s help,
“I lift up my eyes toward the mountains.”
And our psalmist reminds us, “The Lord is your
guardian.” We are obliged to pray, “May He not
suffer our foot to slip.”
We may rest assured that our Lord sends us the Holy
Spirit to safeguard us, and we give thanks that our
protector is a guard who never falls asleep at his post,
nor is He ever off duty. “May He slumber not who
guards you, indeed He neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
When we do battle with evil or injustice,
who can we turn to? Are we likely to overcome
the powers and principalities that threaten us
along the road by depending on our puny defenses?
Not so the psalm reminds us. Without the Lord as our
shade we are subject to the sun's harmful rays
and the moon's evil influences. But if we trust
in the Lord, “The Lord will guard you from all evil.”
But how do we get God’s attention when we need
His help? Jesus tells us how in the Gospel –
we are to pray with persistence, without becoming
weary, like the widow who obtains a just decision
from the unwilling judge. And as the Psalm concludes,
if our faith is strong, and we trust in the Lord,
“The Lord will guard our coming and going,
both now and forever.”
Amen