Gospel Reflection Oct 16 – Deacon Paul
Sunday, October16
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 18: 1-8
Gospel:
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?”
Gospel Reflection:
In our Gospel from Luke, we are reminded that we should have unlimited faith and confidence in God. For no prayer that we utter goes unheard, and we should “pray always without becoming weary.”
In our text today, we are introduced to two people. The first one we see is an unrighteous judge who doesn’t care at all about justice or right and wrong.
The second person in this story is a widow who is seeking justice, and she shows us what perseverance is like as she keeps coming back time and time again to the judge until she wears him out.
In the parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, we heard the story of a poor powerless person who persists in nagging a corrupt powerful judge to do justice for her. And the judge was able to hold out for a while but finally, realizing that the widow wasn’t going to leave him alone until he settled her case, he begrudgingly granted her justice.
It’s a parable where Jesus is wanting us to pray always and not lose heart. He is wanting us to persevere in our faith at all odds.
The point of the story is this: if a ruthless, insensitive, and hardened judge can be convinced to do what is right, even if it is for the wrong reasons, how much more will God show mercy to those that he loves?
And so, “How much time do you devote to prayer each day?” How much importance does prayer have in your lives? How much thought do you give to eternal matters as you go about your daily routine?
Friends, just as the widow kept coming to the judge — determined, relentless, and hoping against all odds — so we also are to keep praying, to be determined, to be relentless, hoping against all odds. For if we are to be found faithful when the Son of Man comes, we must keep praying and not lose heart.
Deacon Paul Zemanek