16 October 2022 – 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

by Fr Francis Anthony

Dear friends,

Today’s readings is challenging us: Do we have confidence in God’s justice?

Do we persevere, not just in praying, do we persevere to live our faith life? To behave and act as the disciple of Jesus? As given in the Second Reading to Timothy, am I a person who, having received the knowledge of the scriptures? And am I living in accordance to what I have been taught or to what I have known through the scriptures?

Yes, in the Gospel text, we have this widow beseeching her right from the judge and he, who had no fear of God nor respect for man, delayed in granting her her right that justice be given to her against the enemy.

Yes, in our prayer life and in our faith life, how am I living my faith? As I said quite often from this pulpit, very often my faith life, my prayer life is all one way traffic, shooting all my intentions, petitions to God. Have I listened to Him telling me how I should live my life through the scriptures which we read for those who come for Daily Mass. Every day, two readings and on Sundays and Weekend Masses, three readings. Have we ever asked what is God telling me today?

I will spend time in multiplying my prayers. I will spend time in making sure I attend the various devotional practices. But that daily living of my faith and this is what in the last line of the Gospel, it says:-

When the Son of man comes, will He find any faith on earth?

Yes, would He find people in union with God? And as I said today, the readings are giving us confidence to persevere and in the Entrance Antiphon, we had the hymn and if you had read it, it goes like this:

To you I call (that is the prayer of the psalmist), for you will surely heed me.
(Then it goes) Turn your ear to me, hear my words.
Guard me as the apple of your eye.
In the shadow of your wings, protect me.

And here the psalmist is just looking upon God for all the protection that he would like to have. And in our Responsorial Psalm, the antiphon gives us another:-

Give the Lord glory and power

Yes, we ask God for all the downward movement, to bless me, protect me, guide me but in the Responsorial, am I in union with God in prayer? Am I in union with God in living my faith in accordance to the scripture in the Second Reading?

And let us always remember our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. So when I lift up my eyes to God, let me take time to see whether I am worthy to lift up my eyes. I am not one with Him but when I need something, ‘O Lord come through the rains and bless me.’ But in my daily living, and in the Second Reading there we have scripture is salvation through faith in Christ. Yes, it leads to salvation through faith in Christ. Am I united with? So my dear friends, let us see how I live my faith. And let this faith help me to manifest it in action.

And now we are, just a few days (I don’t know when), will be election. And we are wondering, I tell you frankly I myself am quite puzzled. I don’t know whom to vote for. But let us keep our eyes opened not just the party but the individual candidates who come appealing through their ceramah or through their phones.

Are they trustworthy guys? Are they guys who are having a vision for the whole of Malaysia and not for just certain sector of the population. Are they guys who are promising a Malaysia not just for us today – repair the road, put some lamppost somewhere. Vision for your children and your grandchildren. What type of country they are promising? And that should be the criteria and keep our eyes open. Look at the number of guys who are in trial or have got things to settle in the Courts. And they are standing. Corruption is the maximum in our country. And those guys are standing.

But it is for us to see how I am going to manage casting my vote. In my constituency where I am going to, what type of guys are there? And let us ask God to help us to be people who can see through all the tricks of our politicians and let us cast out our votes not for my immediate need. A lot of goodies being offered. I would call the last budget as election budget. But am I able to see the security and the wellbeing of our grandchildren and their children? What type of country that we are going to have?

Click below to listen to the homily and watch the video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 16 October 2022