This week’s reflection is provided by
Fr Peter Dillon – Surfers Paradise Parish
In a world that seems to demand that everything happens immediately and gratification is instant, words like patience, perseverance and persistence seem to come from another age. When coffee arrives at the press of a button and the world news is just a click away, the thought of having to wait hours, days, weeks and sometimes years for a prayer to be answered is just too long for some people.
In today's Gospel, when the widow seeks justice from the busy and distracted judge, she's not going to let his rejection or dismissal stop her in her quest for justice. We're not told how long this standoff with the judge lasts, but it was long enough for her to wear him down. The persistence of the woman becomes the model of resoluteness for God’s chosen ones.
Like the woman, they cannot be certain when God will respond, so they must persist. Our personal prayer must be persistent. Like Moses and the widow, we must be ceaseless in our prayer, not discouraged by the difficulties that we might face on the way.
This story however captures only one facet of prayer, namely God’s openness to us. In reality, prayer develops a mutual openness. In the parable, Jesus is not comparing God to the unjust judge or suggesting he only answers prayers to avoid being bothered further.
Jesus contrasts God with the judge, arguing that if an unjust man can come to justice eventually, how much more will God answer his chosen ones, even if it seems as though he delays to help them. God has his own time and his delay in judgment can give people more time to repent.
Once again, Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayer and never lose heart. But wisdom and experience teaches us that the important values we cherish are not instantly available. They need time to mature and seep into our life so that they can take root and not be fleeting. The danger is that we give up too quickly, that we rest our case too easily. We have to be persistent; we have to be prepared to invest our time in our beliefs.
First Reading:
The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage. When he let his arms
fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it one on one side, one on the other and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people.
Second Reading (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2)
You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true. Remember who your teachers were and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures. From these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his. Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.
Gospel (Luke 18: 1-9)
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the just judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
Fr Peter Dillon – Surfers Paradise Parish
In a world that seems to demand that everything happens immediately and gratification is instant, words like patience, perseverance and persistence seem to come from another age. When coffee arrives at the press of a button and the world news is just a click away, the thought of having to wait hours, days, weeks and sometimes years for a prayer to be answered is just too long for some people.
In today's Gospel, when the widow seeks justice from the busy and distracted judge, she's not going to let his rejection or dismissal stop her in her quest for justice. We're not told how long this standoff with the judge lasts, but it was long enough for her to wear him down. The persistence of the woman becomes the model of resoluteness for God’s chosen ones.
Like the woman, they cannot be certain when God will respond, so they must persist. Our personal prayer must be persistent. Like Moses and the widow, we must be ceaseless in our prayer, not discouraged by the difficulties that we might face on the way.
This story however captures only one facet of prayer, namely God’s openness to us. In reality, prayer develops a mutual openness. In the parable, Jesus is not comparing God to the unjust judge or suggesting he only answers prayers to avoid being bothered further.
Jesus contrasts God with the judge, arguing that if an unjust man can come to justice eventually, how much more will God answer his chosen ones, even if it seems as though he delays to help them. God has his own time and his delay in judgment can give people more time to repent.
Once again, Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayer and never lose heart. But wisdom and experience teaches us that the important values we cherish are not instantly available. They need time to mature and seep into our life so that they can take root and not be fleeting. The danger is that we give up too quickly, that we rest our case too easily. We have to be persistent; we have to be prepared to invest our time in our beliefs.
First Reading:
The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage. When he let his arms
fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it one on one side, one on the other and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people.
Second Reading (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2)
You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true. Remember who your teachers were and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures. From these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his. Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.
Gospel (Luke 18: 1-9)
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the just judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’