Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Perseverance in Prayer
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Prayer: The Breath of Life
Prayer: Conversing with God
Love of the Bible
Greeting (See Responsorial Psalm)
The Lord will guard you from evil;
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming.
May the Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Prayer: The Breath of Life
Do we put our very life in our prayer or are we reciting formulas, even though we agree with their contents? If we could only express in prayer what we live, cry out our miseries and shout our joys, persist in praying, not giving up, insisting, against all odds, because our faith is against all odds and because our very life depends on it, as does the life of justice and love in the world. In this Eucharist we join our prayers to those of Jesus our Lord.
Prayer: Conversing with God
In a personal relationship with a person, you speak to him or her, to thank, to tell how you feel about the other or yourself, and about things and persons. Once in a while you ask for a favor or you offer your help and encouragement. In our relationship with the Lord prayer is doing all these things. If we love him, we cannot keep silent. Let us ask Jesus again in this Eucharist: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Love of the Bible
We are witnessing with joy in our day how people come together to hear and read the Good News of the Bible. They seek in its message the meaning of their lives. Though written in the past, the Bible still deals with God’s love present among us now. What has Jesus to say to us today about the reason why we live, about the great questions of life and death? Let Jesus’ words stir us and move us to share in his life.
Penitential Act
Option 1:
Prayer: The Breath of Life
Where were our trust and our persistence
when we turned to the Lord in prayer?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, with you we pray
that the Father’s will be done, not ours.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, with you we pray
that justice be done to everyone:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, with you we pray
that those who do evil to us may be forgiven.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and hear our prayer for forgiveness.
Guard us from all evil
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Option 2:
Prayer: Conversing with God
We wish that we were closer to the Lord
and could talk to him as a friend to a friend.
Let us ask forgiveness
for not having spoken more to him.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you often speak to us
in your word, in the Church, in people,
and we do not answer you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have given us the task
of bringing the needs of all people before you,
but too often we think only of our own concerns:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you tell us
that we need to pray constantly
and never to give up;
but sometimes we tire and give up:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
We pray you for mercy and forgiveness, Lord.
Be kind to us and patient with us sinners;
give us the joy of your pardon
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Option 3:
Love of the Bible
Do we listen to the Word of God
and let God speak to us?
Does its power change us?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord,
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you are God’s living Word
who speak to us today:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, your words are spirit and life:
you have the words of everlasting life:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, your word is truth;
make us holy in the truth:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
forgive us our sins
and let us see our life in the light of your words.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Option 1:
Prayer – The Breath of Life & Conversing with God
Let us pray for the gift of perseverance in prayer
(pause)
Lord our God, we know that you are our loving Father, that you wait for us and that you are attentive to us every moment of our lives. Let then our prayer come to you as a cry of trust coming straight from the poverty of our hearts. If you have to turn us down when we ask for harmful or useless things, give us what we really need and keep our trust alive that you are good and loving, for you are our Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.
Option 2:
Love of the Bible
Let us pray to God our Father that we may love to hear the Word he speaks to us
(pause)
God our Father, you keep speaking to us today in the words and deeds that bind us to you. Make us listen attentively to your Son, that his Good News may change us with its message of faith, hope and love. Let it bring us wisdom in our confusion, encouragement in our trials, guidance and strength to follow your Son on his way through death to life. May we respond to his words with deeds of justice and love, We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading
In the Name of the Lord: In this strange story, which the liturgy uses to stress perseverance in prayer, Moses raises his staff in the name of the Lord and leads his people to victory.
When the Israelites were at Rephidim, the Amalekites came and attacked them.
So Moses said to Joshua:
“Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites in the morning. As for me, I will stand with God’s staff in my hand at the top of the hill.”
Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had directed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
It happened that when Moses raised his hands, the Israelites would win, but the Amalekites would have the advantage when he lowered them.
As Moses’ arms grew weary, they placed a stone for him to sit on while Aaron and Hur, on either side, held up his arms, which remained steadily raised until sunset.
For his part, Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the sword.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Second Reading
Proclaim the Word Inspired by the Spirit: Hold on to God and his message, says St. Paul to Timothy, and share it with others. For this message is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Pray Continually and Never Lose Heart: God’s justice and love are greater than that of people. He will hear the prayers of those who cry out to him with trust and perseverance.
Jesus told them a parable to illustrate that they should pray constantly and not lose heart.
He said:
“In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about people.
In the same town, there was a widow who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my adversary!’
For a while, he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people,
this widow damages my reputation, so I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wear me out.”
And Jesus said:
“Listen to what the evil judge says.
Will God not do justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night, even if he delays in answering?
I tell you, he will quickly do justice for them. But, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us listen to the invitation of our Lord to pray insistently, without giving up. Let us ask him to bring our prayers before our Father in heaven, and let us say: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For the Church today, that the Church may see clearly how to keep the faith alive in the hearts of its members and how to deal with the problems facing it in today’s world, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For those in the Church to whom special ministries are entrusted, that they may be men and women of prayer, mindful of the Lord’s words, “without me you can do nothing,” Let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For contemplative monks and nuns, that we may appreciate their life of prayer and penance and be grateful to them for the Lord’s blessings which they obtain for us, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For all who know or seek God, that they may enter into a dialogue with God by praying from the heart. Let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For all Christians, that our prayers for the poor and the suffering may commit us more to bringing them justice, to lightening their burdens and restoring their dignity, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
– For all of us here, that we may learn to pray without giving up for whatever is good and in accordance with God’s will, and that this Eucharist may bring us and the world closer to God, let us pray: R/ Lord, hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, you are our hope and assurance that the Father will hear us. For you are his Son and our brother, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you cannot resist our prayer
if we have full trust in you.
Let the Holy Spirit, here among us
prompt us to pray trustingly and insistently.
Let him cry out in our hearts
to call you “Father,”
together with him
who offers himself and us to you,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With one heart and one mind and in union with Jesus our Lord, let us offer our thanksgiving to the Father.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray now to our Father
the model of all prayers,
which Jesus himself taught us: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from all evil
and grant us the peace
that flows from justice as from a river.
Help us to give to everyone his or her due
and, like you, to pay special attention
to the victims of injustice.
Let us bring fresh hope to them
as we prepare for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
He taught us to pray continually,
without ever losing heart.
He now invites us to receive him
and to share in his offering to the Father.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
with Jesus we have raised our hands
in prayer to you, our living God.
With Jesus we keep trusting in you.
Hear us then, even in our pains and struggles,
when we are disappointed and grope in the dark.
For we believe that you love us
and want us to find happiness
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Option 1:
Prayer - The Breath of Life & Conversing with God
This Eucharist has been for us
a strong reminder
that persevering, trusting prayer
must necessarily be a prayer of concern
for the weak and the poor,
and that concern must express itself
in bringing them justice.
May the Lord give you this strength and bless you:
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go to love and serve the Lord
in the people around us.
R/ Thanks be to God.
Option 2:
Love of the Bible
Our words come and go and are soon forgotten.
God’s word remains: it is faithful.
May we learn to become more familiar with it
and to treasure it deeply.
Perhaps then it will do what it was meant to do:
to make us new, to give us the mentality of Jesus
and to make us live like him.
May God strengthen you by his word and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace
and take God’s Word to heart.
R/ Thanks be to God.
REFLECTIONS
19 October 2025
World Mission Sunday
Luke 18:1–8
Today, as the Church throughout the world celebrates World Mission Sunday, the Gospel presents us with the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. Jesus tells us this story to teach one essential lesson: we must always pray and never lose heart.
The widow in the parable has no wealth, no influence, no human power. She represents the poor, the forgotten, the voiceless. The judge, on the other hand, is corrupt, caring neither for God nor for people. By human standards, the widow has no chance of obtaining justice. Yet she does not give up. Her only weapon is persistence. She returns again and again, until the judge finally relents.
If such persistence can move even a corrupt judge, how much more will our loving Father listen to the cries of His children? This is the heart of the parable. God is not unjust; He does not grow tired of us. He hears our prayers, though His answers may come in ways we do not expect, or in times beyond our own. Jesus ends with a searching question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” That is the challenge for us—to keep praying, to keep believing, to keep witnessing, even when results are not immediate.
On this World Mission Sunday, as we celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025, is a time when we walk together as Pilgrims of Hope. Mission isn't exclusive to priests, religious, or those who go to distant places; it is a universal calling for all the baptized. Every one of us is sent, and each of us is called to share the light of Christ with the world.
How do we live this mission? Like the widow, we may feel powerless in the face of so many challenges—persecutions on account of faith, poverty, violence, and division. Yet persistence in faith, hope, and love transforms hearts. Small acts of witness—an honest word at work, kindness to a neighbour, prayer for someone in need, forgiveness in a family—these are missionary acts. God takes our small seeds and makes them grow.
To be pilgrims of hope is to live simply, to reduce unnecessary wants, to build bridges, and to walk with others. Mission is not about doing extraordinary things but about being faithful in ordinary life.
Children and youth live out this mission by showing kindness at school and including those who are left out. Families live out their mission by praying together, forgiving one another, and welcoming others. Workers and professionals live by acting with integrity and compassion. The elderly and the sick live a mission by offering their prayers and sufferings for the Church. Priests and religious guide this mission by forming communities of hope and solidarity.
Dear friends, let us not become weary. Let us persevere in prayer, like the widow. Let us continue in mission, as pilgrims of hope. And may our lives, lived with faith and love, proclaim the Gospel to all creation to the ends of the earth.
Luke 16:1–13 (10-13)
Serving God, Not Wealth
Today’s Gospel presents us with one of the most difficult parables of Jesus—the story of the dishonest steward. At first glance, it seems strange: why would the Lord praise a man who cheated his master? But Jesus is not praising dishonesty. He is pointing us to the urgency of choosing wisely, of using the goods of this world to build love and friendship, and of remembering always that we are stewards, not owners.
In the time of Jesus, large estates were often managed by stewards who worked on behalf of wealthy landowners. These men often looked for their own advantage, using the land and the peasants for profit. In the parable, when the steward learns that he is about to lose his position, he acts quickly. He reduces the debts of his master’s tenants, not out of generosity, but to secure a future for himself. The master, surprisingly, praises him—not for his dishonesty, but for his cleverness and foresight.
And here is the point Jesus makes to His disciples: if even a dishonest steward knows how to prepare for the future, how much more should the children of God live with wisdom and foresight! The steward thought about tomorrow. Jesus is asking us: And you, do you think about tomorrow? About eternal life? Or do you live only for today, as if everything depended on what you own?
This is where the Gospel speaks powerfully to us. Everything we have is God’s gift—our talents, our time, our resources. We are stewards, not owners. As the Psalm says: “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds” (Ps 24:1). When we forget this truth, when we live as if possessions were ours to hoard, we become enslaved by wealth. We begin to serve “mammon”—money, power, possessions—rather than God. And as Jesus says clearly: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
The question, then, is not whether wealth is good or bad. Jesus never condemns creation or the goods of this world. What matters is how we use them. If wealth becomes an idol, it destroys us. If it becomes a tool for love—if it feeds the hungry, helps the poor, builds community—then it serves the Kingdom of God.
Here lies the invitation of today’s parable: make friends with the goods of this world. Share what you have. Use it to build bonds of love. What you give away in love is never lost—it becomes “true wealth,” the treasure that lasts into eternal life. As St. Ambrose said: “We must not consider as wealth what we cannot take with us.”
Brothers and sisters, let us ask for the grace to be wise stewards. Let us not be deceived by the false promises of money. It cannot give us joy, it cannot give us peace, it cannot save us. Only God can. May we learn to serve Him alone, and to use all that He entrusts to us in service of love, so that one day we may be welcomed into His eternal home.
Perseverance in Prayer
Read:
Moses intercedes with raised hands while Joshua fights the enemies. Paul reminds Timothy of the need to study the Scriptures and preach the Gospel in season and out of season. Through the parable of the widow and the judge, Jesus teaches the need for perseverance in prayer.
Reflect:
Two things that get waylaid when we busy ourselves with the daily chores of life are reading the Scriptures and praying. The immediate demands of life are so great that spending time to read the Bible and pray individually or collectively seem like luxury. I once observed a phenomenon in a theology study house: on the days the students had examination, the morning prayer and meditation became “private” and the Mass was postponed to evening – to help students with their immediate preparation for exam. I wonder if it didn’t communicate a message to the students – the future priests – that prayers were secondary and cancellable to suit one’s convenience? And, that is what they would grow up to do as well! When prayer becomes marginal and sporadic, so does the grace of God in our lives as well.
Pray: “Lord, give me the grace of perseverance in daily prayer.”
Act: Spend an hour in personal prayer today.
Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022; written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF