Readings: Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8
Theme: World Day of Mission
By Michael McCabe, SMA.
Today, World Mission Sunday, is the day set aside by the Catholic Church throughout the world to publicly renew its commitment to its universal mission, its calling to bring the Good news of Christ to the ends of the earth. The Second Vatican Council reminded us that mission is rooted in the nature of the Church; it is the reason for its existence. The Church is the community of Christ’s disciples called and sent to continue the mission of Jesus in the world. In the name and by the power of his spirit all baptised members of the Church are called and sent to witness to, and proclaim the Gospel of God’s love. In his message for this special day, Pope Leo invites us all to reflect together on our common baptimsal call to be ‘missionaries of hope among the peoples and to commit ourselves anew to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our Hope to the ends of the earth’.
Pope Leo also highlights the importance of prayer for the success of the Church’s missionary work. He states that when he was a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, he ‘saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities’. So he urges every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday, and he tells them that their prayers and support ‘will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories’.
Prayer is also the dominant theme of our Scripture readings today. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus encourages his disciples to persevere in prayer and not lose heart. Easier said than done, you may say! Jesus is referring especially to what we call ‘prayer of petition’ (asking God for things). It is perhaps the most common kind of prayer. When we bring our needs and the needs of others to our heavenly Father, we are responding to the explicit instruction of Jesus: ‘Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you’ (Lk 11:9).
Jesus illustrates his message with a story about a corrupt judge and a poor widow, who pesters him day and night just to get what is hers by right. The judge eventually relents and accedes to her request, not because he has any concern for justice, but because he wants to be left in peace! Jesus is not comparing God to the corrupt judge, but contrasting them. What he is saying is that, if a corrupt and heartless judge is eventually moved to grant the plea of a persistent widow, how much more swiftly will our infinitely just and loving Father respond to the prayers of his beloved children?
Our first reading from the Book of Exodus illustrates the importance of supporting one another in prayer. It recounts the story of how Moses turns to prayer when his people are attacked by a hostile tribe, the Amalekites. While the battle rages, Moses stands on a hilltop praying with outstretched hands. He knows that only God’s power can save them. When Moses grows weary and his arms begin to flag, his companions come to his help, keeping his arms raised up: ‘But Moses’ arms grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, with Aaron and Hur supporting his arms on each side’ (Ex 17:12). What a lovely image of how we can sustain one another in prayer, especially when our hearts grow weary and we feel we are losing the battle.
Here in this Eucharistic community we have come together as the Body of Christ, not just to bring our personal needs and concerns before the Lord, but also to hold up one another’s hands and sustain one another in prayer and in the struggle of life. There are indeed times when our hearts grow weary, when our energy flags, and like Moses, we can no longer stand alone. It is then that the quiet, unobtrusive prayer of others become the needed oxygen to keep the weakening flame of our own faith alive. Some years ago I came across a story that illustrates this truth and that links prayer and mission. Christine Benson, a project worker for a Baptist Fellowship, tells of a visit she paid to a Muslim friend following a meeting that upset her. It was nearing prayer time, so she asked her friend to pray for her. She then describes how they prayed: ‘I sat on the settee and prayed my prayer, while she knelt in the corner and prayed her prayer. And we were virtually praying together. And then when she finished praying she sat my me and said: “What is it that has upset you?” And I shared it with her, and she put her arms round me and we were so close we were just like sisters.’
As we continue this Eucharist, let us be missionaries of hope and hold one another in prayer.
Listen to an alternative audio Homily by Tom Casey, SMA: