Today’s Gospel passages are a parable that illustrates Luke’s emphasis on the importance of prayer. The story is only found in Luke’s Gospel and includes elements of humor to break the tension of the preceding difficult discourse where Jesus tells of His coming passion and judgment. Let’s examine the parable.
The two main characters are as different as night and day. The judge is an appointed official – a bureaucrat- who holds authority over a local community. He is described as neither fearing God nor having any concern about what others think of him. On the other hand, the widow represents the most vulnerable members of the society of that time. Even though the Deuteronomic laws made clear provisions for the care of widows, orphans, and strangers, they were frequently ignored.
This widow, however, is not a stereotype in need of protection. This is a woman of determination and courage! Each day, when the judge emerges from the courthouse, he is confronted by the widow who demands “justice.” The Greek work used can be translated “to set things right” or “vindicated.” At first, the judge refuses her pleas, but in the end, he relents because of her harassment. Again, the Greek words suggest the judge feared he’d get a “black eye.” Ultimately, the judge did not want is authority to be brought into question by this pesky widow.
Jesus’ main point is that the persistence of the widow serves as a reminder that God will bring about justice and mercy. God is present at all times of persecution to offer hope. So the parable lends encouragement to those who seek justice over oppression. In the last verses, Jesus declares that if this unjust judge can give justice, how much more will the God of mercy come to all who seek help.
The parable began with Jesus saying that He told the parable as reminder of the need to “pray always.” Persistence in prayer is is an expression of deep faith that allows the ongoing power of God to release power in our lives. In the theme of endurance and persistence of our readings we are shown that these are characteristics vital to our journeys of faith. It also lets us see that prayer is a living, breathing encounter with God and therefore is an evolving relationship. The best news is that no matter what we ask or how we ask, God will not shame us for requests or alienate Him because of our choices.
Author Thomas Keating says: “If modern communication can be overwhelming, wait until you encounter the number of ways of communicating that God can come up with! God approaches us all day long, coming to meet us morning, noon, and night through people, events, and our own thoughts, feelings, memories, and reactions. We give in at some point and say: “Okay, take my life, I am in your hands.”
In his book, “Just This,” Richard Rohr wrote of prayer: “When we put on a different mind, heaven takes care of itself. If we continually resort to verbal, wordy prayers, we remain stuck in our rational minds and cannot experience any change in our unconscious mind. Prayer is sitting in silence until it quiets our mind and heart. It allows us to choose gratitude until we are grateful and praising God until we are an act of praise . . . Be ready. Be present to God in the here and now, the ordinary, the interruptions. Being fully present to the soul of all things will allow you to say. “This is good. This is enough.”
So, what do we take home in our hearts. Simply this. Persistence and consistence in prayer is the foundation of moving our journeys of faith forward. It allows us to see God working in our lives and appreciate that God’s love and care surrounds us in all the ordinary things. It allows us to realize that prayer is not intended to change the will of God, but to discover it.
Source: © The Rev. Peter Groschner, October 20, 2019. Luke 18:1-18. Reprinted with permission from the author.