A vital lesson shines through today’s first reading, where Moses instructs his younger collaborator, Joshua, on the rule of engagement in their battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-23). Deriving from that reading, I will briefly round up its implications for us going forward in this Holy Eucharistic celebration.
In that reading, Moses instructed Joshua to pick out soldiers and go into battle with the Amalekites while he stood on top of the hill to pray. (We can call that hill “the Church,” the special place of meeting God). As Joshua did his part, Moses prayed. However, he was required to sustain his part of the bargain for things to go right. He needed support as well, and everyone collaborated for a successful engagement. The message from that reading is that prayer and work go together.
We all work hard to put food on our tables, pay our bills, go on vacations of choice, and enjoy life’s blessings, and that is right. Yet, before and after all our efforts, we must pray and trust that everything depends on God and goes right. This description captures the essence of the Twenty-ninth Sunday liturgy in the Ordinary Time: “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). In today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus consolidates the gains from praying and how it helps in ensuring that everything goes well when he urges his disciples to pray always and never lose heart because prayer is our lifeline, our key to breakthroughs and fulfillment.
We are a lucky generation. We learned these truths about prayer and hard work from infancy, and should commit to them. In the second reading, St. Paul urges Timothy (2 Tim 3:14-4:2) to remain faithful to what he has learned and believed, knowing from whom he received it, referring to the Church. On this firm foundation, we anchor our hope and lift our thanksgiving and petitions to our loving God and Father.