The Necessity

Listening to the Spirit

God of holiness,
you have the power to make us strong by your grace
and vigilant by the strength of the gospel.
Remember us in the fight of prayer
and keep us faithful in meditating on your word.
Thus, we fervently await
the coming of your Son, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Lk 18:1-8

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?"

Reflection

The teaching of Jesus to his disciples talks about one necessity... the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. Looking after another word for weary, one can find; lose heart, burnout, exhausted in strength, tiring etc. Synonyms of situations that Jesus wants to free the disciples, especially when they are in front of persecution and injustice. The parable that follows goes in this direction.

In such a hard situation, there is always the risk for the disciples to start to see and think in their own ways and not in the way of God. Persistent prayer is the answer from the disciple in every circumstance of life, particularly when challenged by the evil world. It is the proper way for those who chose God not to answer evil with evil. Only perseverant prayer can keep us fully in synergy with the Master. Prayer was, for Jesus, a customary way of “keeping in touch” with the Father and asking for His enlightenment and help for his disciples. One of His disciples thought to us: “Pray without ceasing... Refrain from every kind of evil.” (1Thes. 5: 17. 22)

Persistence is different from stubbornness. Persistence is about ongoing attitudes and/or actions that lead to a good outcome. Stubbornness is really about ourselves, most of the time for selfish gains. Persistent prayer is about the faithful relationship with God that expands us and our expectations of how God is to act.

The necessity Jesus presents us on this page of the gospel opens our hearts through prayer to welcome Him at His coming. It is clear to the disciple that every occasion of prayer is experienced in the encounter, coming of the Lord in our lives. To the question at the end, we can add, will there be people who persevere in prayer? He leaves the question unanswered so the disciple can ponder it.