Breath of the Spirit

RVC’s Weekly Spiritual Essay

 

October 17, 2004: TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

 

Readings

Exodus 17:8-13

II Timothy 3:14-4:2

Luke 18:1-6

 

Most people will walk away from today’s readings remembering only how the first and third passages concentrate on persistence in prayer. Yet, the second reading might be more important for the everyday life of the church.

 

Both the Exodus author and Luke’s Jesus encourage us to continue praying even in circumstances in which God seems to be ignoring our prayers.

 

To better appreciate the Exodus pericope, we should understand that our method of kneeling and praying with hands folded in front of us is a relatively recent development in prayer posture. The normal way biblical people (including Jesus) prayed was to stand up with both arms extended, as Eucharistic presiders pray. It’s a position difficult to maintain over a long time. Your arms get tired, your breathing becomes labored. That’s why Moses needs Aaron and Hur’s help. By supporting his hands, they enable him to continue praying until “Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” Yahweh eventually answered.

 

Luke’s Jesus offers us a different take on the same subject. Teaching his disciples “about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary,” he employs an example of a judge who refuses to respond to a widow’s legal petition. Only her constant nagging forces him to do so. Jesus reminds his followers that God will respond to their petitions much more quickly then the unjust judge.

 

Jesus closes this narrative with an important question, “When the son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” In other words, shouldn’t we be more concerned about our response to God than God’s response to us? Jesus’ question changes the focus and takes us back to the second reading. No longer is the emphasis on God’s actions; now our actions are in the spotlight.

 

The unknown author of II Timothy also encourages his readers to “hang in there.” But he’s not so much telling them to be persistent in prayer as to continue to proclaim God’s word.

 

One of the most common mistakes Christians make is to stray from the message Jesus has given us to live and announce. That’s why this late first century author writes so forcefully. “I charge you in the presence of God and of his kingly powers: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.”

 

What’s interesting about this command is that the writer presumes his readers have learned some of that word through a Christian interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures. (There were no Christian Scriptures when he wrote.) According to him, we’re to imitate the historical Jesus, who based his reform of Judaism on his interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

The Timothy writer knows we can take our religion in directions the risen Jesus doesn’t want it to be taken. As Jesus warns in Mark 7, we’re always tempted to teach human doctrines as though they were from God.” Only a habitual return to Scripture will help us avoid that pitfall.

 

We’re more blessed than the II Timothy community. Along with the Hebrew Scriptures, we also have the Christian Scriptures to fall back on. We can turn to them to hear how Jesus’ second, third, and fourth generation followers interpreted and applied the message he delivered to his first followers.

 

Today, when there are so many different interpretations of Jesus and his message, it’s essential that we always return to the earliest interpretation. Though not all of them apply to us, unless we know what they are, we should not be creating and teaching any other interpretation.