29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Sunday October 16, 2022
Mass Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- First Reading – Exodus 17:8-13: “Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 121: “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
- Second Reading – 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2: “Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.”
- Gospel – Luke 18:1-8: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?”
Themes for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
The readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C are about persistence in prayer. In the first reading Moses becomes tired in prayer and Aaron and Hur support him. The psalm declares “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”. In the second reading Paul tells us to be persistent in proclaiming the Word of God. In the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the Persistent Widow, who kept bothering the judge until he heard her.
- Persistence in prayer
- Not giving up
- Trusting in God
- Supporting each other
- Spiritual Works of Mercy
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
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Resources for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
A Prayer to God on the Mountain
This is a prayer to meet God on the mountain. There we see His eternal goodness and faithfulness. It is based on Psalm 121 which is the responsorial psalm for this Sunday.
Strength in Numbers Game and Reflection Questions
This Strength in Numbers game shows youth that they need help from God and from their community. The reflection questions help them explore the importance of relying on Jesus and each other. It is also a good lesson in endurance.
Homilies and Reflections for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Persistence in Prayer
From Bishop Robert Barron. Studies have shown that everyone prays, that even professed nonbelievers pray. It seems to be born of a profound instinct in the human heart. We ask God for things; we beg; we implore; we desire; we long. But what precisely is petitionary prayer, and how does it work? Our first reading and Gospel for this weekend shed a good deal of light on this issue.
Will the Son of Man Find Faith on the Earth?
Also from Bishop Barron. The cultivation of the faith is obviously God’s work first, but it is also ours. What are we doing to make sure that the Christian Gospel is successfully passed on to the next generation?
Hope from on High
From Scott Hahn. The Lord is our guardian, beside us at our right hand, interceding for us in all our spiritual battles. We must persist, so that when the Son of Man comes again in kingly power, He will indeed find faith on earth.
Israel had the better of the fight” (Exodus 17:11)
Focus on Faith
Jeff Cavins discusses the significance of not just believing in the Faith but also being faithful to it.
The Power of Prayer
What good does prayer do? Why do we need to pray? Does our prayer change God? No. Fr. Mike Schmitz lays down the reasons we should pray and gives a few spot-on examples of how real life reflects the nature of prayer. Through prayer, God invites us into his will and gives us the dignity to participate in it, which strengthens our relationship with him.
More Thoughts for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
The early Christians were sure that the “Day of the Lord” was coming soon. This would be the day when the world they lived in, with it’s Roman rule and oppression, would end and a new world would come. This belief is rooted in Jewish tradition. God promised a new king from the line of David who would restore Israel.
But it today’s parable, Jesus tells us that sometimes we have to wait. That doesn’t mean giving up. But we must be persistent. Like the widow who is waiting for a just judgement from the corrupt judge, we must wait for the day when we live in the Kingdom of God. That day will come, but we must trust in God.
Sometimes we want immediate justice in our lives. When someone hurts us, we would like God to rain down justice upon them. But that doesn’t always happen. We might be tempted to think that God does not hear us. He does, but God’s ways are not our ways. We must have faith. And we must keep praying and trust that God is with us.
Reflection Questions for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- Do I give up in prayer, especially when I don’t get instant gratification?
- When I pray, am I trying to change God’s mind or am I open to changing my own heart?
- Is there something I have been asking in prayer for years? Do I still trust that God hears me?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
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