October 19, 2025 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Eric Tellez)
There are certain television commercials that are burned in my memory and I can remember them and learn some things from them. One was one for V eight vegetable juice and it was a story or rather the commercial is about one who decides to drink a soda pop or milk or something and while they're drinking it, all of a sudden, they go like this. Wow. I coulda had a V eight. That is how I approach parables from Jesus.
Speaker 2:That they can be difficult to understand. If you're like me and I know you are, we have left mass hearing different parables of Jesus and going, that doesn't make any sense. What's going on? And a lot of times, it's because it doesn't fit into our view and wisdom of the world. Parables given by Jesus are meant to turn the world wisdom upside down.
Speaker 2:If we keep approaching parables and say, how does that fit into my world and make me right? You're never gonna get parables. But it's about looking at life differently in the way that god wants us to look that, and I think that's what today's parable is about. It is turning our understanding upside down. You've already heard it, so I don't have to explain it all.
Speaker 2:A judge who basically works in a broken system of justice. He cares neither for god's ways or any human being, and that's the way he operates. A widow, at that time, remember, is the lowest stature. No status whatsoever. No recourse of resources or anything.
Speaker 2:She is the one of the lowest people there being a widow. And so what she does is she keeps going after the judge to ask for a right just decision for her. And eventually, the judge says, if I don't do this for her, she's gonna give me a black eye. So what is Jesus teaching us about prayer and being persistent in prayer? The broken system that's there that's corrupt and abusing people.
Speaker 2:Remember, people are living under oppression then, and they are being watched closely by the Roman empire. So they're not living in that kind of freedom way, but yet what she does is she shows up every day. That's what makes her persistent, and eventually, she gets her way because she doesn't grow weary, but she is persistence in asking. Now what we sometimes do is we equate the judge who doesn't like God and people as God himself. Well, God must be that way.
Speaker 2:So I guess that means we gotta just keep praying to convince god to do good for us. No. Remember, every parable is about a comparison. The judge who is corrupt and doesn't care is opposite of god, who is always compassionate, who will respond, but he responds in his own time and his own way. So when Jesus finally asked in the end, when the son of man comes, meaning him at the end of the world, will he find faith on earth?
Speaker 2:The faith that he's looking for is a faith stubborn with love, stubborn with love. All the widow did was show up each day, and eventually, God responds, or the judge in this case responds to her way. And that's what Jesus is asking his disciples and all of us to understand, to have a stubborn faith, a faith that is based on hope, not a hope that is wishful thinking, not a hope that say, let's all think positive, and maybe the cardinals will win one day again. You know? That's the kind of hope that no Christian is ever called to do.
Speaker 2:That is useless. A hope that finds its foundation that god hears us. God automatically is compassionate and a just god that's willing to overcome a system that abuses people, oppresses, and is corrupt. Now, remember, that's where people are coming from. So, what kind of prayer are we learning from today's scriptures?
Speaker 2:One of them is communal prayer. That's what we hear in today's reading from Exodus that Moses is leading the people, and whenever his arms go up, it's symbolic, but it still makes a point that God hears his people, but he grows weary. His arms get tired, and he is helped by fellow leaders and those in the community he's chosen to keep his arms up. Our world is filled with individualistic tendencies. We let go of community, and I think that's what happened during COVID is we all could figure out we really don't need community.
Speaker 2:We either be enjoy being at home or we see the world through social media and so we say, we really don't need church or community all the time And that really has wounded our society because we even do that in religion that, you know what? It's about getting me to heaven. And even Catholicism in some circles, not all because this is not official church teaching, My role is to get into heaven. Well, yeah, but you missed the mark. It's really about establishing the kingdom of god here on Earth.
Speaker 2:That's what your baptism is. It's so individualistic to think. Well, I'm not gonna be with anyone. I'm gonna think just about getting to heaven and getting my family and and the people that I like into heaven. So I'm not gonna break any rules.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna make sure I pray and do all that, and that's not discipleship. The discipleship is getting into messy things, to making the world better. Again, that's what Jesus does with the disciples. He doesn't say, oh, just stay there and wait till you die and you can go to heaven. He sends them out for healing, for being a ripple effect into the community, and so community prayer is important.
Speaker 2:For us as Catholics, I keep teaching you this, but I think it's a cultural thing that many of you still struggle with. You come to mass for yourself. Whenever you say mass is boring, that's the most individualistic thing you can ever say because it really is about you. The messages and the homily have been really yucky. I think I'll go somewhere else.
Speaker 2:That happens because not willing to understand what god is trying to tell us, to wrestle with the messiness of god's, you know, patience and message. God doesn't give a comfortable answer in today's parable. He gives us something to work on. Also, you know, you don't I don't like the music or the times aren't right. Those things really are individualistic, but you don't understand the greatness that you do for people.
Speaker 2:That when you're in the pews, you do amazing thing because I hear the stories of some of you. Some of you are sitting by people who have shared with me their personal struggle. I had a woman today from Hawaii that was here. She lost her husband, and she's been struggling with that. She is grieving.
Speaker 2:And you know what? She said the community has helped her. You. Because you don't know what people are going through, but some of you do amazing things where, you know, they don't look right. I think their body language says they need a little attention.
Speaker 2:And, you know, when you just offer that kindness or a donut after mass, unfortunately, at five, we don't do that, but, you know, that's a powerful thing. Some of you have no clue that you're sitting with someone who's been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Oh, they look fine. They drive good cars. They they dress well, but you have no clue of the suffering they're going through.
Speaker 2:And yet I hear from these people who suffer what good that you do. That's why you should come to mass. To say you're bored is not doing that, but to say that I helped someone. It could be a smile, it could be a handshake, it could be staying with someone after mass, or praying loudly people around you who are hurting that your prayers might make a difference as well. And so prayer is meant to broaden our love for neighbor and to serve neighbor.
Speaker 2:Now when we broaden, that gives dignity to all life. In October, our church has asked us to look at what's called life issues. Life issues means all life is sacred from the moment of conception to the last natural breath, and I think sometimes we struggle with that. In my personal prayer, as Paul's gonna be talking about personal prayer this week, I pray for parents who have special needs kids. Even parents who have kids, you need my prayer.
Speaker 2:Dominic is a young boy, 14, in a wheelchair laying down. He comes to mass often and I see him there, and I think how do the parents do that? They constant needs. Maybe a special need child, and that's your your life issue. You may not have to think about other things right now because in front of you is the daily commitment to take care of a child or a family member who is hurting in some way that has special needs.
Speaker 2:I pray for you because I don't know if I could do that. Some of you, your life issue, just because you're not for everything right now, your focus is on helping a parent die. They are ill and yet you do amazing things. That's why we really wanna care for caregivers because once their loved one dies, there's trauma there. There's a lot of issues that go there that what that was familiar with them is not there and they feel guilt or they feel a sadness or loneliness.
Speaker 2:I keep you in prayer because that's your life issue because you can teach us by your life what it's like to be with someone daily and being asked a 150 times every hour, what time is it? And you get mad or sad because you go, I lost my patience. God's god says I would too. But you keep like the widow showing up. For some of you, it's the unborn because maybe you're expecting grandchildren.
Speaker 2:You're at that age or it might be surprises. In my family, my mom had two surprises with my dad. They were late. They were later, but they've been a great blessing. But maybe you're preparing for life in that way, and the unborn's important for you.
Speaker 2:And that might be your issue, and that's good, but it can't just be one issue. For others, it's the homelessness. For others, it's immigrants that need to be treated with respect and dignity. For others, it's the elderly and taking care of them in their old age, and that's your life issue. I think what happens is when we get one issue, we start shaming people because the world doesn't see our issue as so important, and we're not willing to broaden that.
Speaker 2:So when we use language that's demeaning and shameful and making people to a guilt trip, people won't listen to us. That's why they need consistency, and that's why we at Saint Patrick's work with all types of institution and people even if they don't agree with our life issues because at some point, they're gonna see us working for a particular life that maybe one day, they're gonna say, you know what? You live consistently. Maybe we should relook at our thought and some do. That's happened in over thirty years, and that's why we just don't say, well, you don't think that way.
Speaker 2:You don't vote that way. You're against that. Don't come here anymore. Worst thing we can do. The world really mocks us when we only think of one issue and really don't have the ability to broaden that all life matters.
Speaker 2:The state of Arizona killed another inmate yesterday, and our church is very clear that the death penalty is not part of the gospel. And yet when you look at social media or talk to Catholics, there's some that justify it. That somehow the glory of god welcomes this guy into paradise and says, well, I'm glad you were killed by this date. I hope that taught you a lesson. And hoping that killing someone will teach the world that killing is bad.
Speaker 2:We don't have to be that way. And that why that doesn't mean people get off scot free because some people go, well then you're just for everyone to get out of jail. Don't don't don't play that game. People should be held accountable, but that doesn't mean they have to be killed. And so what we've done is underneath the statue of Touchdown Jesus tonight when you go, we've put together a two sided flyer on life issues.
Speaker 2:We're giving you church teaching, our faith teaching of scriptures, and some resources that you can use to maybe discover and sit with it. If there's an issue you're struggling with, if you're an issue that maybe you have family members going through that you just like to support them or or have a better understanding of your faith, I ask you to take those home with you. We're also gonna put them on our email connection this week so that you can download it and take a look at it because some issues are difficult for us. Some issues we have been formed and shaped in a way that's not of the kingdom and god is patient with us. We don't have to shame people for not getting it.
Speaker 2:But we can do is broaden our love for all people and all life. So when you leave tonight, please I invite you to take that flyer. Take that seriously. That life issue is important. So what kind of faith are we to have?
Speaker 2:A stubborn faith, A faith filled with hope, not wishful thinking or positive attitude. A hope that says, god will answer. God will fix a broken system because god doesn't need to be convinced. He already knows. We have to be persistent in prayer.