27/07/2025
📅 July 27, 2025
🛐 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
👐 Vestment: 🟢
📕 Lectionary: 111
👴👵 WORLD DAY OF GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
🇵🇭 FIL-MISSION SUNDAY
Persistent Prayer that Conquers God's Heart
Jesus taught his disciples and us to relate to God not as someone to be feared, but as a loving Father to be loved in return. He also taught us to pray to Him as children approach their parents and to address Him as "Abba/Father/Ama," with faith and persistence.
In the Lord's Prayer, we profess not only God's fatherhood but also the universal brotherhood of all human beings. We proclaim our call to work together; to build the Kingdom through love, mutual forgiveness, and unity of intent in opposing evil and spreading goodness everywhere. Let us make the Lord's Prayer our daily source of inspiration and let us become part of a few good people called to prayer and persistent faith!
1️⃣ Reading I: Gn 18:20-32
God is willing to spare sinful cities for the sake of only a handful of good people. Here we also find the intercessory prayer of the just man, Abraham.
📖 A reading from the Book of Genesis (18:20-32 NABRE)
{In those days} the Lord said: The outcry against S***m and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down to see whether or not their actions are as bad as the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.
As the men turned and walked on toward S***m, Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?” The Lord replied: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of S***m, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am only dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty righteous people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there. But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it for the sake of the forty. Then he said, “Do not let my Lord be angry if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it if I can find thirty there. Abraham went on, “Since I have thus presumed to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” I will not destroy it, he answered, for the sake of the twenty. But he persisted: “Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?” For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.
- The word of the Lord.
🎼 Responsorial Psalm: Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
1. I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,/for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise:/ I will worship at your holy temple/ and give thanks to your name. (R)
2. Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise./When I called you answered me;/ you built up strength within me. (R)
3. The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar./Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;/ against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand. (R)
4. Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me;/ your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;/forsake not the work of your hands. (R)
2️⃣ Reading II: Col 2:12-14
Baptism makes us sharers in the death and resurrection of Christ. Our Lord has made us new, and Paul challenges us to a new life in Christ.
📖 A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (2:12-14 NABRE)
{Brothers and sisters:} You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead [in] transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
- The word of the Lord.
✝️ Gospel: Lk 11:1-13
Jesus taught his disciples the importance of prayer through his words and example. In today's Gospel passage, we have the Lucan version of "the Lord's Prayer" and a pressing exhortation to present our petitions to the Father with trust-filled perseverance.
📖 A reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke (11:1-13 NABRE)
{Jesus} was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
- The Gospel of the Lord.
💭 Today's Reflections
Persistent Prayer and the Wisdom of the Elderly
Rev. Msgr. Peter Cañonero
In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing persistence in prayer and trust in the goodness of the Father. The readings from Genesis 18:20-32 and Colossians 2:12-14 also highlight God's mercy and the power of faith in him. Prayer is one of the most profound ways we communicate with God. However, many people struggle with prayer—either because they feel unheard or because they lack patience in waiting for God's response. Jesus reassures us today that prayer is never wasted. Like a loving Father, God listens attentively and gives us what is truly good. But persistence is key. This is why Jesus teaches us not only the words of the Our Father but also the attitude of perseverance in prayer.
The Power of Persistent Prayer
In Genesis, Abraham persistently intercedes for S***m, pleading with God to spare the city for the sake of a few righteous people. Abraham's perseverance reminds us that God is always ready to listen, especially when we pray with sincerity and love. Similarly, in Luke, Jesus encourages us to “ask, seek, and knock,” assuring us that God is a loving Father who gives what is truly good for us.
Many of our grandparents and elderly relatives are living examples of this faithful persistence in prayer. How often do we see them still praying the rosary, attending daily Mass, or interceding for their children and grandchildren? Their steadfast prayers are a testament to trust in God's providence, teaching younger generations the importance of turning to God in all circumstances.
The Gift of Faith Passed Down by the Elderly
In Colossians 2:12-14, St. Paul reminds us that through baptism, we are buried with Christ and raised to new life. This spiritual rebirth is often nurtured by our grandparents, who plant the seeds of faith in our hearts. Many of us have received our first prayers, blessings, and wisdom from them. Their faith, tested through time and experience, is a treasure that helps strengthen families and communities.
Reflecting on this, we recognize that faith is not something we develop in isolation—it is handed down, nurtured, and deepened within a community, especially within our families. Grandparents and the elderly, through their lived experiences, become witnesses to the power of God's grace. They remind us that faith is not just a set of teachings but a lived relationship with Christ, one that sustains us in both joy and suffering.
Trust in God's Generosity
Jesus assures us that God never fails to provide for his children. Like a loving Father, he knows our needs even before we ask. However, sometimes his answers may not be what we expect, but they are always what we truly need.
This is a lesson our elders often teach us. Having gone through struggles, losses, and challenges, they remind us that God's timing is perfect and his grace is sufficient. Just as they have persevered in their faith journey, we too must learn to trust God wholeheartedly.
May we always approach God with the trust of a child, the perseverance of Abraham, and the wisdom of our elders. Let us never take for granted the prayers, sacrifices, and faith-filled example of our grandparents and elderly loved ones. Their intercessions, like Abraham's plea to God and Jesus' call to persistent prayer, are a powerful source of grace in our lives.
As we celebrate this World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, may we honor them not just with words, but with our presence, care, and love. Let us learn from their unwavering faith and carry forward the light of Christ that they have shared with us. In doing so, we become part of a beautiful chain of faith—one that unites past, present, and future generations in God's boundless love.
Source: Euchalette by Word and Life Publications | Sambuhay Missalette by St Pauls Media Pastoral Ministry
Provided by: Drich N. Sumcio
Re: Celda Uno
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