First Reading: (Exodus 17:11–13)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalms 121:1–2, 4–5, 7–8) “I lift up my eyes toward the mountains. From where shall help come to me?”
Second Reading: (2 Timothy 3:14–17)
Alleluia: “The Lord is just and merciful. The Lord is compassionate and faithful.” Alleluia. (Psalm 111:4–5)
Gospel Reading: (Luke 18:1–8)
The Reflection
Throughout Scripture, the lifting of our hands, hearts, and eyes to heaven is a powerful symbol of prayer, trust, surrender, thanksgiving, and appeal to God. Since heaven is above, our upward gaze expresses our orientation toward the One who reigns over heaven and earth.
We see this gesture throughout salvation history: Abraham lifting his hands in oath, Solomon lifting his hands in dedication, Paul urging believers to lift holy hands in prayer, and Jesus himself lifting his eyes to heaven. The Psalms echo the same truth: “Let my prayer rise like incense before you, and the lifting of my hands like an evening offering.”
The Mass makes this symbolism visible in our worship. The priest lifts his hands in intercession, just as Moses lifted his hands on the mountain. As long as Moses’ hands were raised, Israel prevailed; when he grew weary, Aaron and Hur supported him. In the Gospel, the persistent widow “lifted” her plea again and again until justice was granted. Both stories teach us the same lesson: never grow weary in supplication.
The Psalm today proclaims our conviction: Our help comes from the Lord. If our help comes from him alone, then we must never tire of lifting hands, hearts, and eyes to God. In sorrow or joy, in distress or thanksgiving, lift them up.
From today’s readings, three themes emerge: perseverance, divine help, and the power of Scripture and prayer.
In the First Reading, Moses’ raised hands and the support of Aaron and Hur offer a vivid image of human weakness and communal strength. We all experience moments when our arms, our resolve, our courage, our zeal, begin to drop. Scripture reminds us: we are not meant to fight alone. Sometimes we support the weary; sometimes we are the ones upheld.
The Responsorial Psalm lifts our eyes to the mountains and to the Creator of all. No matter how strong or weak we feel, our ultimate help is divine, not human. The Lord guards our coming and going, now and forever. When our hands grow weary, we turn to the God whose hands never tire.
The Second Reading declares that Scripture is “God-breathed” and equips us for every good work. And in the Gospel, Jesus urges us to pray always and never lose heart. The widow, though powerless in earthly terms, prevails through persistence. If even an unjust judge can be moved by perseverance, how much more will God, who loves us, answer those who cry out to him day and night?
So then:
When we are weary in body, mind, or spirit, we should not hesitate to seek support from friends, from the community, and above all from God.
Lift our eyes. Do not fix our gaze only on our own strength, but on the One who upholds us.
We should pray without ceasing. Let prayer be our rhythm and Scripture our formation. Strength of faith comes not from sheer willpower, but from being rooted in God’s Word and in persistent communion with him.
May we hold steady until the sun set, and beyond, trusting in the Lord, our keeper.
Amen.
Pal Ronnie
No comments:
Post a Comment