TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C

FIRST READING: Exodus 17:8-13

As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight.

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, “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.” So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. 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.

COMMUNAL PRAYER

--Rev. Linh N. Nguyen

The first reading on this Sunday presents the importance of prayer to overcome struggling battles of life. On the way towards the Promised Land, the Israelites were struggling against dangerous adversaries. They had to make a valiant attempt to protest against their enemies. The reading today, however, does not show that the victory upon their enemy depended only upon their mettle and pluck. Rather, it pivoted on persistent prayer. During the skirmish, Moses interceded for the Israelites and through the power of God assured them victory over their enemy, the Amalekites.       

When the Israelites escaped from their oppressors in Egypt, they continued their journey under the guidance of Moses towards Canaan, the Promised Land. At Rephidim, they were suddenly and unexpectedly attacked by the Amalekites. Interestingly enough for us to know, the nomadic Amalekites were traced their lineage back to Jacob’s brother Esau (Gen 36:12). Perhaps, they attacked the Israelites, for they may have felt threatened by Israel’s sudden influx in their territory. This skirmish was the first of many battles that the Israelites would fight before completing their conquest of the Promised Land.      

When the attack began, Moses told Joshua to choose some men and go into battle to defend the people. Joshua carefully selected Israel’s bravest warriors, and then he went down into the valley to fight. Although this was the first battle to them, the Israelites fought with real weapons, for the Scripture says, “Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword” (v. 13). 

However, the victory did not depend merely on Joshua and his weapons. Rather, it depended on prayer. Before Israel’s counterattack, Moses had taken up his position on the hillside overlooking the battlefield, where his only weapon was prayer. Here, Moses was totally dependent upon God alone to win the battle. He was holding his staff, the given instrument of divine power. By holding it up to heaven, Moses was appealing for God to defend his people.

As he watched the battle, Moses saw the firsthand how importance of his gesture of prayer. When he raised his staff and prayed, Israel had a better of the fight. But when he lowered his staff, the Amalekites were gaining the upper hand. In desperation, Moses lifted his staff even higher, appealing to God for victory. But soon his arms grew tired. When he lowered his staff, the same thing transpired again. As the battle went back and forth, Moses eventually figured out that what happened down in the valley depended on what he was doing up on the hillside. Their success in battle depended on his gesture of prayer. 

In the same way, our spiritual battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil are won and lost through the weight of our prayer. If we do not pray, we start losing the battle. We can arm ourselves with truth, righteousness, and faith. But if we do not beseech God to assist us, we will not be able to make our stand against the devil. Instead, we will be led away from the truth into error. We will be defeated to temptations. We will be dragged down into doubt and discouragement.

Even if we fight like Joshua, we will not win the battle unless we pray like Moses. The real battle is not fought down in the valley when we struggle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is fought up on the hill, in the place of prayer.

Isn’t that what Jesus taught us? Before Calvary there was a Gethsemane. Jesus’ greatest struggle was probably not when he stood in front of Pontius Pilate and was condemned to death. It was presumably not while he was being beaten and scourged by the Roman soldiers. It was possibly not at Calvary when he was nailed on the cross. But his greatest struggle took place when he was in Gethsemane, the place of prayer. He fell with his face to the ground and sweat poured forth from him like great drops of blood. That is where the real battle is fought. That is where he prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). Since he won the battle in prayer, Jesus then went to Calvary to claim his victory.

Moses was an old man at that time, and the work of continuously raising up his staff was too hard for him. He was jaded. The Scripture says “Moses’ hands grew tired” (v. 12). In his own strength, he was unable to keep on praying. This is our struggle in prayer as well. Prayer can be tiresome work, and we often feel that spending time in prayer is too hard for us. As Jesus told his disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41b).

Moses did have some help, “When Moses’ hands grew tired, 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” (v. 12). Moses grew tired in prayer before Joshua did in battle.  That is because praying is harder work than fighting.

As human beings, we are fragile and weak. We do not have the strength to keep our hands continually lifted in prayer. That is why we need an Aaron and a Hur who will partner with us in prayer, who will lift our arms when we are too tired, or weak, or weary. That is why we need to be a part of a small prayer group or a Bible Study. There, we might find an Aaron and a Hur to come beside us in prayer. Everybody needs an Aaron and Hur, and everybody needs to be an Aaron and Hur. This is a picture of “communal prayer.”

Today, we also celebrate World Mission Sunday. Mission Sunday unites Catholics all over the world in prayer, mutual friendship and support, both spiritual and material. If we do not ask God to defend the Church, then our members will be divided and our leaders will go astray.    

Prayer – especially communal prayer – is our best defense against the evil one. We pray when we celebrate Mass, communally asking God to bless the Church and the world. In many occasions, we corporately pray the Lord’s Prayer, beseeching God to protect us from temptation and deliver us from evil. Throughout the week, we meet in small groups, lifting one another up in prayer. In daily Masses, the presider and the assembly pray for specific needs within the congregation. And we pray in our families, asking God to help us live for Christ. The family that prays together stays together. A family without prayer is like a house without a roof – exposed to every wind that blows, and every storm that rages.

We are committed to communal prayer not only because Jesus promised that wherever two or three gather in his name, he is right there with us (Matt. 18:20). But it is also because we know our weakness. Like Moses, we need someone to help lift up our hands. While there is a place for private intercession, nothing strengthens our common life of prayer like praying for and with other Christians. That is how we prevail in prayer against the enemies of God and his church.