October 23
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”
Reflection
Still fresh in my mind are the images of persistence from last Sunday’s readings…Moses with his hands held up in prayer (Ex. 17), Timothy and the proclamation of God’s word whether convenient or not (2 Tm. 3), and the widow demanding justice (Luke 18). Wisdom from the book of Sirach today invites us to that consistent theme: the justice of God is manifested particularly in that he always hears the persistent cries of both the oppressed and those who freely commit themselves to his service (Sirach 35). You can see St. Paul embody both of these categories today in his letter to Timothy.
Put yourself in his shoes and feel what must have been incredibly discouraging as he stood on trial/in prison: “At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf…everyone deserted me.” His persistence in preaching the Gospel, enduring ‘thorns’ in his flesh, numerous waves of successes and failures within the communities he shepherded…and still as he finds himself nearing the end of his life, and he seems to be utterly alone.
Often in our lives as disciples, the experience of isolation, especially in the midst of pain, leaves us feeling abandoned by God and by our friends and family. Rather than cling to pride or become bitter, Paul chooses the path of persistent faith and chooses to cling to Jesus instead. Remember, even Jesus knew the experience of being abandoned by friends in his hour of need. But as always, the Lord quickly comforted Paul…“the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all might come to hear it…the Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom” (cf. 2 Tm. 4:17). God’s grace was more than sufficient to help Paul endure, and more than that, the Truth of the Gospel stood strong as a result for all who would follow after.
Interventions of grace, those moments when we are able to ‘come up for air’ or find some relief are always initiated by God for us as gift. The story of the Pharisee and the repentant Tax Collector in our Gospel demonstrates that pride can overshadow a multitude of sins. It doesn’t matter if we have attained other virtues or committed ourselves to Gospel service. If we are sick with pride, it’s like we haven’t even begun the spiritual life, of which Humility is the foundational virtue. Humility invites us to choose to rely on or lovingly entrust all the things out of our control to the power and loving providence of God.
The posture of humble persistence (if you will) seen both in Paul and the Tax Collector is an antidote to our pride: total abandonment to the mercy of God and total trust in his grace. What a wonderful paradox of our faith: By us lowering ourselves God exalts us and brings us to himself.
Peace,
Fr. Foley
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