Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Exodus 17:8-132 Timothy 3:14-4:2Luke 18:1-8

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The First Reading at the Holy Mass today for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time is a wonderful story from Exodus 17:8-13 that beautifully illustrates how our cooperation with God, no matter how painful or arduous it may be, opens up the floodgate of His promise to protect us and to keep us. The nation of Amalek (the Amalekites) had made themselves enemies of Israel, just as Esau, the grandfather of Amalek, had made himself an enemy of his brother Jacob. As Esau tried to steal Jacob’s blessing, so to were his descendants intent on taking from Israel what God has promised them. On this day, Moses called to Joshua and told him to “Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him and the next day when the battle ensued, Moses climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur and raised his hand over the fighting. “As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile, Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

Moses keeping his hands raised is an incredible image that should remind us of the Priest celebrant at Mass elevating the Holy Eucharist after the consecration and his signs of blessing. Moses being seated and assisted by Joshua and Hur should remind us of our role in assisting our pastors in their work, lest he becomes tired. Yet, most importantly, this narrative should reminds us of the participative nature of the economy of salvation, which is most evident in the liturgy of the Holy Mass. It is true, there are enemies always coming for us; making war with us, and attempting take what God has given us, but just as victory was won by Moses keeping his hand raised, so too are our victories won through Christ raised on the Cross and through our participation in that sacrifice through the Holy Mass and by our remaining in Him through worthily receiving Him who the Priest raises before our eyes; Christ Jesus, the Holy Eucharist.

In the Second Reading today we’ll hear from Second Timothy 3:14-4:2, where the Apostle Saint Paul reminds Timothy about how the Scripture plays an important role in teaching us how to cooperate and participate with God in His good work. In writing, “remain faithful to what you have learned and believed because you know from who you learned it,” the Apostle is clearly referring to the Apostolic teaching of the Church. He then ties the Apostolic teaching to the sacred Hebrew Scriptures, which he says Timothy knew “from infancy”. It is in reference to these sacred Old Testament texts that Paul writes, “All Scripture is theopneustos;” that is, “All Scripture is God-breathed.’ Theopneustos is a very rare and unique word in the ancient Greek lexicon. It is derived from the Greek theo, meaning ‘God’, and pneustos, meaning, ‘to breathe hard’. In saying that Scripture is breathed from God, Paul is equating the inspired writings to the other things that God breathed on or breathed into; namely, breathing into the nostrils of man to give him life (Cf. Genesis 2:7) and authority over the created things and breathing on the Apostles to give them authority to forgive or retain sins (Cf. John 20:22). Indeed, the breath of God gives true life, and in regard to the Scriptures, Paul writes, they are useful for “teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Scripture