Gospel Commentary for Sunday, October 19, 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, peace and all good.

Throughout this past week, the readings have been speaking to us about prayer. From the Our Father to the parable of the persistent friend, God’s Word has reminded us of the need to pray always—with trust—knowing that God takes care of us, even if He doesn’t respond exactly as we would like or as quickly as we wish.

It seems clear: we have to pray without losing heart. Jesus tells us this, and so does the first reading. In the Old Testament, many peoples believed that their gods fought alongside them when they went into battle honoring them. We know that’s not how things work—but we can still learn something from that first reading: if you want to achieve something that’s beyond your own strength, pray without ceasing.

Because there are results that can only come through prayer. We see that in the story from Exodus. The Hebrews were fighting the hated Amalekites, and as long as Moses kept his arms raised, they prevailed. But when he lowered them, they began to lose ground. That happens to us too. There are enemies that won’t let us live in peace—passions and weaknesses that can take over our lives. If we drop our arms for even a moment, the enemy gains the upper hand. And then we’re lost. We must keep our arms raised to God until sunset—until the end of our lives—without getting tired.

In the second reading, Paul continues teaching Timothy. Today, the Apostle reminds him of the values that must be at the heart of his life. Just as in Paul’s time, everything around us changes so fast that it’s hard to find solid points of reference. In a world full of relativism, we Christians have the Sacred Scriptures as the lighthouse and light that guide our lives.

Against passing trends and shifting opinions, the Word of God—because it is inspired—remains “useful for teaching, for refuting error, for correcting, and for training in righteousness.” It’s a true treasure we’ve received, and one that we are called, in conscience, to share with everyone. And we must do so, as Paul says, “in season and out of season,” because it would be selfish to keep such a gift just for ourselves. That also means we need to spend time reading and knowing Scripture so that we can speak about it.

As I said at the beginning, today’s readings invite us to pray without losing heart. This doesn’t mean we can force God’s hand—things don’t work that way. We can’t oblige the Lord to act. So we might ask: if we pray and don’t get an answer, what’s the point? Why doesn’t God always respond right away to our petitions? Why should we keep praying even when we don’t see results?

In a world that prizes speed and efficiency, the Gospel invites us to enter a different rhythm—the rhythm of God.

In this Sunday’s parable, Jesus speaks of a judge who doesn’t fear God or care about people, and who fails in his duty to protect the poor. In contrast, there’s a widow—a defenseless woman in a society where widows had almost no rights—who keeps coming to him, insisting that he grant her justice. With no resources or influence, her only option is to keep insisting, again and again.

We can see a parallel between her situation and ours. Evil seems to win, and God doesn’t seem to intervene. What can we do? Pray. Persevere. Because prayer is what keeps us from losing our minds amid confusion and hardship. But it’s not easy.

To “pray always” doesn’t mean just repeating set prayers—though those help—but entering into the kind of prayer Jesus had with His Father: a constant dialogue to seek and understand His will. It’s about a regular conversation that helps us look at reality and life’s events through God’s eyes. It helps us shape our thoughts, plans, and reactions according to His plan. Like Jesus, we should pause before making important decisions and ask God what He wants from us.

So today we receive an invitation for the whole community: not to reduce our Christian life to devotions, rituals, or ceremonies alone, but to give greater importance—day by day—to studying and meditating on the Word of God, and to having a personal and frequent relationship with Him.

The Word, prayer, and the sacraments—those special moments of encounter with God—are the means He has given us to maintain a constant dialogue with Him and with the world, especially with the poor and those in need. When we live out these three dimensions—the Word, prayer, and the sacraments—God will never end up locked away in the safe of our hearts, hidden from others. Jesus wants to give Himself to everyone, forever. That’s why He left us His Word, His life, and His Body, given for all eternity.

Whoever truly wants to follow Christ must have a heart large enough to hold all humanity, and a life so connected with God that, through everything they do, a window to heaven opens so others may discover Christ.

We also need to trust God’s timing. When we pray the Our Father, we say, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We must not forget these two dimensions—heaven and earth—where God is always at work for our good, even when, at times, it may not seem that way to us.

This Sunday, October 19, the Church celebrates World Mission Sunday (known as DOMUND in Spanish), organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s a day when the universal Church prays especially for missionaries and supports mission work throughout the world. It’s celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday of October, the “month of the missions.”

This year’s theme is “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples.” In his message for this day, Pope Francis reminds each Christian—and the whole Church, as a community of baptized believers—of our fundamental calling to be messengers and builders of hope.

This vocation needs the support of the whole Church. How? There are three ways to cooperate in the mission: personally, spiritually, and materially. It’s not just about helping the mission—it’s about being part of it. Each of us, in our own way and according to our means.

Your brother in faith,