Perseverance Required These Days

PERSEVERANCE  REQUIRED THESE DAYS
Homily Presented at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Albany, NY
​The Twenty-Ninth Sunday of the Year C

    The events in this country and around the world are at best confusing, and at worse, quite frightening. In this country we have taken for granted the long evolution of moral codes and a system of laws that established this republic and protected human rights for all. These fundamental principles are slowly dissipating.    
    It is often easy to forget that those same standards made it possible for many people to succeed in in this country. Others have been left behind. Today, more people are losing those opportunities to reach their promised land. Whether wealthy or poor, healthy or sick, employed or not, immigrant or citizen, neighbor or stranger, how shall we persevere?
    One of the best ways to figure out how to live today is to read the Bible, as we do. It is not a history book but it provides us with clues for establishing relationships with God and with one other. And, it contains stories that can help us move forward in the face of hardships.
    In the first reading (Exodus 17:8-13) the Israelites are searching for freedom and prosperity after a long captivity in Egypt. They passed through territories already occupied by other tribes including the Amelekites.
    Moses was not always a trusted leader but he remained steadfast in the attacks from the Amelekites who apparently had no fear of God. They used force against the weak and powerless Israelites. 
    According to the story the 80-year Moses lifted his hands up standing in need of prayer. He asked God for help. We do not often think of God as vengeful. But here we read that God authorized the annihilation of the Amelekites.
    For some reason the following words from verse 14 are omitted from the passage we just heard. “God said to Moses: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”  (NRSV Ex 17:14)                                      
    In different periods of history, this Amelekite story has been misunderstood and misused. For some it could represent a political ideology leading to the destruction of a whole race or nation. Without naming any one nation or government or leader, sadly, throughout history, unbelievable crimes against humanity happen all too often. There are other interpretations of this text. I would like to offer one of them.
    Not taken literally, that war-like command from God can be understood as a process of confronting the darker aspects of our own inner beings. For us today it may be more helpful to read this passage from Exodus as a metaphor about removing evil inclinations inside ourselves as we search for peace and harmony within ourselves. Often we need help in order to persevere… standing in need of prayer.
    To pray, meditate or study the Bible is especially helpful when it comes time to pray in public as we do here. Personal spiritual exercises can support and hold up a community like this one. The biblical texts, the prayers, the songs, the bread and cup we share, can empower us to help others. When we persevere and pray together we can work wonders, miracles even.
    The text in Timothy (2 Tm 3:14 - 4:2) is attributed to Paul in need of persevering in his faith. He was in prison and without friends. The unknown author teaches Timothy and others to persevere by passing along the instructions learned from the Hebrew bible.
    The advice is to stick with what we have learned even when inundated by popular pressures especially posted on social media. And, we are to exhort one another to abide by the basic teachings of the gospel. The scripture asks us to give a gentle nudge to those who, perhaps, have forgotten their responsibilities as members of the faith community.
    Pope Leo did the same in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, I Have Loved You. He wrote: “Unjust structures need to be recognized and eradicated by the force of good, by changing mindsets but also, with the help of science and technology, by developing effective policies for societal change.” In this challenge Pope Leo offers a strategy for persevering, it is a hope-filled blueprint.
    The church of Luke’s day experienced difficult times under oppressive Roman rule. The people longed for the second coming of Christ, which they expected would end their sufferings. It did not come, and, still today we wait in joyful hope.
    In this gospel, (Lk 18:1-8) Jesus tells his followers to pray always without becoming tired. We heard that same message in the first reading. When we are overwhelmed and stressed out we need help. 
    But what if our prayers are not answered quickly enough or at all? These days we want everything to happen almost instantly. We can be impatient and disillusioned when prayers seem to be ignored. And, we want them to be answered the way we want them to be answered. Perseverance and prayer need to be accompanied by patience.
    The widow in this gospel story was persistent. A friend of mine says: “it’s the squeak that gets the oil.” In the passage, the judge, who did not fear God or any human being, had a change of heart. The judge is a reference to God.
    This suggests to us that the empathetic God can be convinced to see things our way. It may unusual to hear this but it is OK to challenge God, to keep pestering God, to persevere in our prayers. Just maybe God will abide by our needs, as long as they promote the common good.
    You and I are invited to participate in a divine vision for humanity. This call to action, on this Mission Sunday, is a task for all of us. As we deal with our own concerns, and they are important, how do we help others survive in a cultural climate driven by broken rules, moral decay and unjust actions?
    Words from our final song today may be helpful: Nourished by Christ … sent to embrace a world in need … hungry and thirsty, weak and poor … make God known in word and deed. Isn’t this what St. Vincent’s parish is known for? I believe this is how you and I can persevere and help others do the same  — make the presence of God known using our voices and our good deeds.

NOTES:

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/who-amalek-bible.html

https://www.hprweb.com/2025/09/homilies-for-october-2025/

https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary-old/exodus-178-13-commentary

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29-3/commentary-on-2-timothy-314-45-3

https://jewishstudies.duke.edu/news/destroying-amalek

https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/facing-amalek-reading-the-biblical-injunction-to-genocide-amid-a-genocide/

https://aurdip.org/en/the-invocation-of-amalek-in-israel-from-extremist-religious-rhetoric-to-a-totalitarian-project-culminating-in-the-genocide-in-gaza/

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html