Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)
[Lk 18:1-8]
16.10.2022
The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
- Theme in brief
Persistently
praying without losing heart
- Focus Statement
If we pray persistently without losing heart, our God
who cares for us and is so sensitive to our needs is sure to answer in the way
he wants.
3. Explanation of
the text
The main message of today’s parable of the Widow and the Judge is clearly stated in the text itself in two precise statements: (1) the disciples of Jesus ought to pray always without losing heart (18:1); (2) if an unjust judge who cares for nobody, finally listens to a poor widow, how much more will God do the same to those who cry to him day and night (18:6-7). In other words, as God is genuinely interested in our welfare (unlike that unjust judge), will he not care to help us in our needs when we persistently plead with him?
This parable is given in the context of a delayed ‘Parousia’ (Second Coming of Christ) and the doubt existing in the minds of disciples whether God’s Kingdom will come at all in spite of their ardent prayer. Due to this delay there is a tendency among the disciples to give up prayer altogether and lose faith. Jesus wants to give comfort and encouragement to his disciples so that they persist in their hopeful prayer till his Second Coming.
The main character of this parable is not the unjust judge but the widow who was seeking justice against her opponent (18:3). Actually, in this parable, God is not compared to or identified with that unscrupulous and unjust judge who neither fears God nor respects people (18:2). If it were so we will get the idea that we must argue our case with God and pressurize him or “wear him out” (18:5) to get what we want. Instead, God’s nature is contrasted with this judge. God is so gracious, caring and sensitive to our needs and pleading. If the hard heart of an unjust and arrogant judge can get melted by the persistent pleading of a poor and helpless widow, how much more a gracious God will respond to the pleading of those who cry to him day and night (18:7). We must remember that in the OT widows are symbols of powerlessness and helplessness. Here, the judge’s insensitivity to a helpless widow’s persistent pleading is contrasted with God’s sensitivity and care to quickly grant justice to his chosen ones (18:7). Therefore they should remain faithful and steadfast in prayer till he comes, and never give up hope and trust in God.
A question came to disciples’ mind in Jesus’ days and continues to come to us even today, “If there is a just God, why he doesn’t see to it that justice is done everywhere.” Jesus’ explanation implies that God will not intervene immediately but at his appointed time will definitely act. Therefore, the question is not whether God will do justice to his chosen ones because it is his work and they are to trust him. But the real question is whether his chosen ones will remain faithful to him till the end, or better still whether he will find faith kept burning at his Second Coming (18:8).
4. Application to life
According to this parable the main question is not whether God answers all our prayers. The decisive question is whether we remain faithful to God and show our unshakable trust in him by persistently praying, especially when God’s Kingdom does not seem to come soon. He makes a delay in granting us what we ask for in prayer for reasons known to him alone. Even after praying ceaselessly, “Thy Kingdom come,” if his Kingdom remains far away from us, there is a great temptation in all of us to give up prayer altogether. Or when we do not get what we ask for in prayer or when there is a delay in answering from God’s side, the same thing happens. Through this parable Jesus teaches us that we must persevere in prayer even though God may delay answering us, or may not give us exactly what we ask for.
In prayer, do we become achievement oriented, as in worldly business? When we do not ‘achieve’ anything by praying, it is our faith, which is under trial. The question is whether we shall give up our faith or increase it. Even our prayer of petitions is not meant only to get personal favours from God, but also to increase our dependence and trust in him. Repeated petitions like the widow’s persistent pleading with the judge, make us humble beggars of God’s mercy and increase our intimacy with him. By repeatedly approaching God for our needs, we increase our contact or relationship with him. Intimacy or communion with God is what prayer is all about.
For those who doubt whether God will come to the aid of
those who cry to him day and night, this parable clearly answers it. If an
unjust judge, who cares for nobody or nothing, finally relents and listens to a
poor widow to do justice to her, how much more will God do the same to those
who approach him with trust and confidence? If a judge who is unscrupulous and
disinterested in the widow’s well-being can finally listen to her pleading, how
much more will God who is genuinely interested in our welfare give his
children what they need! This parable clearly brings out the contrast between
the insensitivity
of the judge and the sensitivity and care of God to answer our
prayers. The true reason for our disappointment is our lack of faith.
It is true that we always do not get exactly what we ask
for in prayer immediately at the press of a button. Apart from a lack of deeper
faith, there may be other reasons why we do not get what we ask, and due to
which we eventually lose heart:
(1) We ask what we want from God but he may give us actually what we need, since he alone knows what we need and what is best for us in the long run. Just as parents sometimes refuse what the child asks when they know it is ultimately going to hurt the child or spoil it, God also sometimes refuses our petitions.
(2) He wants to purify our motives and intensify our desires for his gifts. Sometimes our petitions are purely selfish and narrow-minded. During novenas many of us ask only personal favours and do not bother about the needs of the world around us.
(3) He wants that we learn the real value of the thing we are asking for, so that we can appreciate its real worth and become better disposed to receive it. Though God is always ready to help us, our insistent petitions make us well disposed to receive his gifts and favours. When we look at prayer from God’s side, he does not need our prayer since he already knows our needs; but when we look at it from our side we need prayer to make us well disposed to his gifts and show gratitude when we get them.
(4) Sometimes he wants to give us something else, which we have not thought of asking. For instance, instead of healing our illness when we pray for healing, he may give us the grace and strength to bear and accept it so that we become less irritated and complaining or rebellious.
Thus, persistence in prayer, helps us to realise the value of what we are asking, nourishes and deepens our faith, and expresses our dependence on God. Our insistent prayer is a clear indication of how powerless, helpless and defenceless we are before God like the widow in this parable. This idea goes against those teachers and preachers of religion who present prayer as the easiest way to get anything; the only thing is that we ask God again and again. They forget to mention that prayer of petitions is meant not only to get what we want but also to ensure that there will be “faith on earth” till the end of time (18:8). They fail to emphasise what Jesus says at the end of today’s parable – besides getting exactly the thing we want, prayer nourishes our faith and puts us into regular contact with God.
This parable has a good message for life-promotion issues also: Since our God is a God of justice, our faith commits us to stand and work for justice especially for whom it is denied. Like the widow who insisted on getting justice for her, we too may have to face unjust judges of this world to get justice done to the powerless and the defenceless. When God is not indifferent to our cries in prayer and does justice to us, should we be indifferent to the cries of the powerless?
We can apply this parable in another sense. We can identify the poor widow of this parable with so many powerless people in the world who go on knocking at the doors of justice for themselves and those whom they love. They knock at the gates of courts to settle a case, at employment offices to get jobs, at educational institutes to get admission to their children, at hospitals to get better treatment, etc. Quite often they do not get justice done to them in spite of their persistent efforts due to their inability to meet the expenses involved. Their only power is their persistence and perseverance in knocking at these gates again and again. Those who are involved in running these institutes or justice system represent God for them, if ever they hear their cry for justice. When we are in such a position, do we hear the cry of such people? Are we sensitive to it, or just indifferent?
Those who work for peace in our present turbulent and violent world need to look at this poor widow as a model. Due to the growth of terrorism, religious fundamentalism and unjust social structures, many people advocate vengeance or tit-for-tat against terrorist attacks and unjust social systems. The process of peace is slow and sometimes seems to be reaching nowhere. The persistence and perseverance of this poor widow is a model to pursue our peace efforts in any conflict situation starting from family and neighbourhood or village to the highest level of political systems – even when the result is not instant.
- Response to
God's Word
Do we take time and make efforts to nourish our faith through constant prayer? How do we respond when we do not get what we ask for in prayer? Do we lose heart in prayer; do we lose faith and trust in God? Are we selfish in our prayer, asking only personal favours from God especially during novenas and pilgrimages? Do we pray for the realization of God’s cause (that is for His Kingdom) – that there may be peace in the world; that we may live in unity; that truth and justice may prevail…..? Do our petitions make us well disposed to receive God’s gifts and blessings? Are we indifferent to the cries of the powerless and the voiceless like that unjust judge?
- A
Prayer
Lord, you are the refuge of the helpless and hopeless. We realize how powerless and defenceless we are before you like the widow in today’s gospel. Like her we cry to you day and night for justice and mercy for us and for the world. Grant that we may never lose heart in prayer and remain ever faithful to you with unshakable trust by persistently praying, even when you do not grant or delay in granting what we ask for. Please nourish and deepen our faith. Grant that we may not remain indifferent to the cries of the powerless and the helpless, but be sensitive to their needs. Amen.
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