29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
PRAY AND BE GOOD
LK 18:1-8
MESSAGE
From the heart and mind of the Lord Jesus comes today’s teaching on prayer: it is necessary to pray, and to pray always. Jesus reminds us that prayer is not optional but essential, something we are called to do without getting weary, bored or lazy.
Depending on where one stands in faith, this mandate may be easy or difficult to accept. Some people are naturally inclined to prayer, they being reflective, quiet, and firmly anchored in faith. Others are more practical, chatty, and perenially busy, with a casual faith and little time for prayer.
But Jesus is not inviting us to prayer as mere obligation, rote recitation, or formal duty. For him, prayer must be woven into daily life, like a backbone giving strength and stability. Because it is connected with life, prayer cannot stand alone. It must be joined with integrity, kindness, and respect for others.
Like the judge who finally allowed justice to prevail when moved by the widow’s persistence, our prayer must bear fruit in goodness. Prayer, though personal and interior, finds its true expression in our outward actions. Prayer nurtures goodness of heart, and goodness reveals the depth of prayer.
REFLECT
In following Jesus, there are basic requirements, foremost among them prayer and goodness to others. Do we find a balance of these two elements in our lives today?
