29th
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
2 Timothy
2:14-4:2
Luke 18:1-8
"Will not God then
secure the rights of his
chosen ones who call out to him day and night?”
The intention of today's parable is given. "Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” For the same reason, then, the theme of today’s liturgy is centered on prayer. Especially in times when our catholic faith is so criticized because of our long and repetitious way of saying some of our prayers, today’s parable is both a consolation and assurance Surely this is a great opportunity for us Catholics to meditate, learn and strengthen all the more our catechetical fundamentals on prayer.
1. The clearest lesson this parable teaches is persistent prayer. Persistence is that characteristic which an authentic prayer must have. This is personified by the woman who comes day in and day out to forward her petition before the unjust judge. Surely, it is quite sad that the parable likens God to that unjust judge who fears nobody, not even God. In no way, God is like him. However, Jesus must be strongly intentional. He uses even this most humiliating image just to show that a persistent prayer can never remain unheard and unanswered.
True, God knows everything we need. He knows it even before we ask for it. So actually, there is not really a need to make a long litany of petitions for him to know our needs. This is practically why non-Catholics often criticize our rosaries, novenas and other forms of catholic prayers and devotions. Besides, in another part of the gospel, it is also explicit not to make long prayers or repetitious petitions (cf Mt 6:7-9). But looking closely at today's parable, we discover the undisputed wisdom of our catholic forms of prayers. Some of our prayers are indeed long and repetitious because this is one of our ways of trying to manifest our human persistence and perseverance. And we are doing it not for the sake of God but for our sake. This is the point of today's parable. The unjust judge has to finally give what the woman asks for not because he does not know what his client needs nor is the judge not aware that something mischievous happened in his court. No. On the contrary, the judge is all aware of everything. And he is aware even before the woman comes. But now, he has to grant the woman's petition "because this widow keeps bothering me.” And if he does not render her, her due, this widow will "finally come and strike me.” Ergo, although at first we may think that it is out of the judge's convenience that justice is given, it is in fact, in the last analysis, the woman's persistence that causes not only the dispensation of justice but also of the very inconvenience of the judge that ultimately moves him to grant her prayer.
The lesson of the Jewish historical experience runs parallel. This is clear in the first reading. It seems ridiculous to think why the Jews would win the war as long as Moses raises his arms in prayer. But as soon as Moses lowers his arms, they would just start to fall down and lose. Others even think of this as something more superstitious. Moses raising his arms seems to have nothing to do with his people's fight, and much less with his people winning the fight. But this is just the way it is related to us. And if it is told to us in this way, it is because it has a message to tell: persistence in prayer!
2. Today's parable, then, also teaches us what prayer means on the part of God. Again, God is never like that of the unjust judge. On the contrary, God is just as a judge because he himself is justice. And it is in this context that we learn another important dimension of prayer. Prayer said and prayer heard is always a matter of justice. "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.” Of course, justice here never means strict justice, but justice in the broader sense. Human as we are, there is not anything in us that makes us worthy to demand for God's favor. Nor there is anything on the part of God that obliges him to give us what we ask for. In fact, by strict justice, we have already been condemned. But the justice on the cross has changed the God-man relationship from a master and servant to a father and son relationship. This type of justice which God dispenses in relation to prayer is filial.
It is filial justice, if we are allowed to call it. And by filial justice, there seems now a right of man to call God his father, and an obligation of God to answer every humble prayer of his child. That is why Jesus assures that if a human father with all his sins cannot give to his child a stone when he asks for bread nor a snake instead of a fish or a scorpion for an egg, how much more for a loving heavenly Father (cf Lk :11-13).
3. Prayer, then, is "the strength of man and the weakness of God.” This has been an old wisdom about prayer. Today, this wisdom is repeated in the parable. It becomes the strength of the persistent widow and the weakness of the wicked judge. But if ever it becomes her strength, it is all because she is convinced she would win her cause. So actually, the woman's persistence is not simply for persistence's sake. Rather, it is in fact founded on trust and confidence that justice never fails. Sooner or later, justice will be rendered. She knows it; she is certain of it. Thus, she persists and perseveres because she is convinced that one day she gets her due. Her trust is so strong, her confidence so unwavering. Such disposition undoubtedly required of our prayer.
Genuine prayer flourishes in time and gets its strength all the more in time. That is why it "weakens" a powerful God in such a way that every honest prayer is also answered in God's own time. Of course, God's time is not man's time. A minute for God may be a thousand years for man. But this is precisely what makes a speedy justice on the part of God and perseverance on the part of man. Thus, the man who perseveres in prayer also perseveres in justice.
St. Monica is a classic
example of one mortal whose persistence and perseverance in prayer clothed
every bit of her immortal soul. And what made her more admirable was the fact
that she made her tireless prayer not for her own sake but for her son,
Augustine. We learn how she would bend her knees and shed her tears everyday
before the altar. Her consistency and sincerity knew no limits. So, this would
later convince the holy bishop of the cathedral to tell her that her prayer is
already heard. And it was true. Later, not only St. Monica but the whole church
would witness heaven's reward. Augustine was converted. And what a great saint he
was!