THE WORD
Wis 18: 14–16; 19: 6–9 / Lk 18: 1–8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
IN OTHER WORDS
Have you ever prayed so hard for something or for someone? Have you received what you have been praying for? Have you ever asked for something, only to give up when you felt that it was taking too long for the answer to come?
The gospel today presents to us the parable of the persistent widow, sometimes called the parable of the unjust judge. In the parable, Jesus expresses His desire that we pray always like the persistent widow. Jesus teaches that if the unjust judge eventually listened to the widow, God, who does not fail in compassion, will eventually grant our request, in His time and in His way.
Very often, we give up when our prayers are seemingly not being answered. We cannot wait. We want to get answers right away. The gospel today shows us how to be patient and persistent. We must pray with a sense of urgency. Our prayer must be insistent. In our prayer, we must be persevering and steady. Like the widow, our prayers must be constant and relentless. Prayers do not have to be long. They can be short and simple. But, when wholeheartedly and tirelessly done, prayers can be very powerful.
Read again the gospel for today. Reflect on the persistence of the widow. Feel the joy of having a compassionate and loving God. Think about your own situation now. Do you need to ask God for something with more insistence? Do you also feel the need to thank and praise God? Or are you perhaps asking God for pardon? Spend a few moments of silence in prayer!
- Jose Honorio P. Mateo, SVD (Paraguay, S. América)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
