29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ex 17:8-13
Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
2 Tm 3:14--4:2
Lk 18:1-8

God promises to secure the rights of his faithful ones if we seek his justice. When we're abused, neglected, rejected, abandoned, or falsely accused, God comes to our rescue. And speedily, he says! What? He's not standing up for you against troublemakers fast enough? Is he breaking his promise with you?

Although God often seems way too slow, whether it takes months or years (and it often does) before your problem gets resolved, Jesus is in fact at your side immediately delivering you from evil from the very moment you begin to cry out to him.

The real question is not "Where is Jesus?" nor "Why doesn't he care enough to help me sooner?" The question that matters — for our personal growth — is stated in the last sentence of this Gospel passage: As he's arriving to help us, do we greet him with faith or with fear?

There are many ways that we extend our problems. If you're feeling miserable after calling upon God for help, look! Jesus is standing next to you, begging you to follow him in a direction that's different from where you think you'll find the solution to your problems. When our eyes are on the troublemakers instead of on Jesus, we miss the help that he's offering.

Jesus is wielding his sword of truth against the spirits of darkness who are working against you; he is driving them away, but when we don't like all the truth that he's revealing, we succumb to temptation and invite evil to stay.

Often, Jesus is begging us to wait awhile longer so that, out of love for our enemies, we extend to them God's mercy and give him the time he needs to rescue them from the evil that's entrapped them. During the wait, we experience God's vindication every day, even though the injustices continue. We experience it in our hearts as we receive his peace and his patience and his endurance.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What injustices are frustrating you today? What evil is being done against you? What will you do right now to be a faith-filled follower of Christ? What action will you take to conquer your fears and choose to give God your trust? (Note: For help with this, download my newest e-book, "The Path to Healing in Difficult Relationships". If ordering it is not possible for you, it's so important for you to have it that I hope you'll use the Charitable Gift Request form.)

Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:

Describe an injustice that you recently witnessed or experienced. What shocked and dismayed you the most about it? What does fear say about it? And what does trust for the Lord encourage you to believe about it?