This battle scene takes place in the Sinai peninsula, before receiving the covenant. Several events there prepare and test Israel for its meeting with God. Dt 25:17-18 refers to this event as an ambush of the weak stragglers among the Israelites by Amalek. The encounter of Israel with the Amalekites foreshadows the future inimical relationship between the two groups in 1 Samuel 15:2-20, 2 Samuel 1:1-10, etc. In later Jewish writings, Amalek symbolized anti-Semitism. The “staff of God” had just brought forth water from a rock. Now, it was used to overcome the enemies of Israel.
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:2
The “sacred Scriptures” are the Old Testament. But Paul adds a new dimension, which includes the Gospel. He urges Timothy to approach the interpretation and meaning of God’s Word “through faith in Christ Jesus.” He includes the message of Jesus Christ as an essential element in gaining “wisdom for salvation.”
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Paul also refers to the foundation for this faith – “you know from whom you leaned it. . .from infancy. . .” In the beginning of this letter, 1 Tm 1:5, Paul associates the faith of Timothy with “your grandmother, Lois, and . . .your mother, Eunice.” The practice of faith has been handed down from an earlier generation.
The phrase “inspired by God” has also been interpreted as “God breathed” in the NIV translation of the Bible. It is a Greek word that appears nowhere else in the Bible. It is one of the formative passages for the Church’s teaching on inspiration. The word “useful” also has a technical meaning of being formative for doctrine. The passage concludes with imperatives. It is an exhortation to “proclaim the word!”
In my first pastorate, my neighbor was a parishioner. I do not know what schooling she had, but she was very wise in her many years of experience. People sought her out for her wisdom – when they could find her home! She often visited the “old people” in the local nursing home. (Many of the people there were younger than she was.) She read the Bible. She said that she was preparing for the “final exam.” She said that the stories and the teaching in that book provided some good advice and comforted her. She translated the words very well into action in her daily life. Although she came from a much earlier generation than most of the other parishioners, she was a lesson for me and the rest of us, who knew her and received her insights into a life of faith.
Gospel: Luke 18:1-8
When hearing a parable, it is always important to find the one point that it is trying to make. It can be interpreted wrongly, if you allegorize it by finding someone to represent each character in the story. God is not an unjust judge! In fact, if the author assumes the knowledge of Sirach 35:14 (“[God] is not deaf. . .to the widow. . .”), he may be deliberately shifting the focus to the widow, a person who lacked standing and a champion on her behalf in the judicial system. Contrasting comparison is often used in biblical arguments of proof.
The focus is on the persistence of the widow to receive justice. Whether the answer of God comes immediately in this life or in the final judgment at the end of time, the one who prays can be assured of justice. Even the person, who has no powerful allies in this world, can expect to be heard. They should not give up or give into the mores of a world that has no fear of God or any respect for his faithful ones. Since we know that God is just, how much more certain we can depend upon His justice. The “faith” at the end of the passage refers to the strength of the believer to “pray always.”
Prayer is an important element, especially in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus prays before each significant event of His ministry. He offers a model for His disciples to follow.
Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.
