Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 20, 2013:

Exodus 17: 8-13
Psalm 121: 1-8
2 Timothy 3: 14- 4:2
Luke 18: 1-8

Still existing in a few cultures today, at the time of Jesus  women had no right to speak in public, and very few legal rights at all. So the parable that appears in Luke's Gospel is yet another example of characters behaving in unconventional ways.  What may not be clear to us in this story is that it does not involve JUST the judge and the widow, but there would have been a crowd of onlookers. And this crowd was well aware of the Hebrew commands to look out for the 'widow and orphan', the most vulnerable in society.  So, while the judge may have said he didn't care what others thought, eventually he realized that the onlookers would talk about his lack of attentiveness to her problem and their tradition. The woman on her own may have been unconvincing, but the airing of an injustice within a community might sometimes advance a cause.

In other words, I don't think the point that Jesus is making is to nag God if you want something. In fact, Jesus is comparing God favorably against the shameless judge... assuring us that God hears us and is on the side of justice.

The first reading as well demonstrates the benefits of being part of a community. When Moses got tired, Aaron and Hur helped him. 

Temptations exist to go it alone in our faith- whether it is tuning out our neighbor in the pew at Mass, or making up our own spirituality to fit today's mood. But we have been baptized into the BODY of Christ, anointed for the mission of serving and loving one another, and requiring the guidance and support of Scripture and the entire Body of Christ (the Church) in order to have any semblance of success.

• A suggestion for this weekend: if you are sitting near someone you don't know at Mass, before Mass begins, introduce yourself. Learn their name. Remember them by name as you pray during Mass, and look them in the eye at the Sign of Peace. Since we believe that Christ is truly present in the people assembled for liturgy, this might be one way to recognize that dignity, that presence of Christ in the person next to you in the pew.