October 20, 2013 – Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ex 17: 8-13; Ps 121: 1-8; 2 Tm 3:14 – 4:2; Lk 18: 1-8
Many have referred to St. Paul as “The Persistent Apostle.” Thus, Paul serves as a great example and model for what is laid out for us in all the readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Persistence and its importance to people of faith is an intricate part of each of the readings.
The conversion of Paul is recounted six times in scripture — three times in the Acts of the Apostles and three times by Paul himself in his letters. The intensity and the persistence of Paul’s faith lead us to see how important persistence is to live a life of stewardship.
From the persistence of Moses in the first reading from Exodus, to Paul’s urging us to “be persistent” in his letter to Timothy, to the Parable of the Persistent Widow in the Gospel from Luke, we are advised that we should always pray and never give up.
Perseverance is a hallmark of good stewardship. Good stewards know that living in that way is not always easy and comfortable. Yet with the help and guidance of the Lord, the strength to both live that way and to fulfill Jesus’ call to carry on lives of discipleship is both possible and a path to great joy and satisfaction. Paul wrote, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
