29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 17:8–13
Psalm 121:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8
2 Timothy 3:14–4:2
Luke 18:1–8
“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Jesus asks this question of His disciples following a parable inviting them to fervent and persevering prayer. There have been ages in human history when it seemed unthinkable for faith ever to be extinguished from the earth. Wherever the Gospel has been proclaimed, human beings have responded and built cultures and material signs of faith. It can easily be thought that the Lord was exaggerating to encourage the disciples to persevere.
In our time, however, it is apparent that the Lord’s question was not rhetorical. Faith can be lost, and, sadly, there are many signs of its fragile nature. Even though it can lead us to great heights and to the establishment of realities that are filled with beauty, faith can slip through our fingers.
The ancient city of Ephesus, which appears in many Scriptures and was the home to many early Christian leaders, including St. Paul, St. John, St. Timothy and even Mary, the mother of Jesus, would seem to be a place where faith would endure.
It was there that the title of Mary as Theotokos, mother of God, was given. However, a pilgrimage there finds few Christians and many ruins, both pagan and Christian. Visitors find little evidence that the faith has endured, apart from their own desire to make a pilgrimage.
Many families say that in only one or two generations, their faith has been set aside by their descendants. Sadly, at times, when these faithful souls die, their families do not give them the funeral rites that are an expression of their faith.
We must “fight the good fight” for the faith. Like Moses, we must raise our arms in prayer, relying on others to help us to keep our hands raised high as Aaron and Hur did for him. The battle will continue if we do not try to do it alone and if we invite others to join us in prayer.
St. Paul calls for perseverance. “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” Our witness includes doing all we can to proclaim the faith, even when it is being rejected.
What advice can we give to families that have begun to lose the faith?
I often suggest to parents and grandparents to keep this intention in their prayers in every way possible. Light candles. Pray rosaries. One mother chose to go to Mass twice every Sunday, once for herself and once for her daughter who was not attending at the time. The daughter eventually came around. After her marriage, her husband converted to the Catholic faith, and they chose to raise their children in the faith as well.
Speak to your children about your desire for them to put into practice what you have taught them. Choose four times a year for this simple affirmation. Don’t harp on it. Speak it clearly and then share a cup of coffee. Invite them to join you whenever you go to Mass or to Adoration. Tell them what you heard in a homily or what you learned from a Bible study. Share your joy.
Buy religious gifts for your grandchildren. Take them to church when you go. You might want to try what one grandmother did: volunteer in an Atrium for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Learn how to be a catechist yourself. Give presentations to your grandchildren when they visit. Include the neighborhood children who come to visit them. Eventually you might find out that they have convinced their parents to take them to their parish to prepare them for First Holy Communion.
Don’t give up. God wants you to win the battle for their souls more than you want to do that yourself. Persevere in your witness. Your faith is seen by others. Your love for God will bear fruit.