"Render a just decision for me . . . "
Luke 18: 1-8
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101622.cfm
This Sunday we hear about prayer and in particular about prayers of petition and the determined persistence that is so essential. While there are many styles of prayer such as liturgical, contemplative, devotional, private and public, a rich treasure given to us in our Catholic faith, it seems no style of prayer is more familiar to Christians than prayers of petition or intercession.
When we go to pray it is far more common to ask for
something or to ask on behalf of someone else.
We pray for health, for our children, for our sick relatives, for
healing, for a good job, for our children who no longer attend Mass, for good
weather, for safe travel, etc. I’m sure
this all sounds familiar. But, when you
think about it, that’s an awful lot of “Give me, give me.”
So, if ever Jesus told a parable with a smile on his face
our familiar Gospel story this Sunday from Luke would have been it. Picture the scene he paints. An uncaring judge sits arrogantly at his
bench and openly admits his shamelessness towards God and people: “. . .
neither feared God nor respected any human being.” There isn’t much good about
someone like that.
And persistently at his bench and entering his courtroom
over and over again is a widow, dressed in dark shabby clothes but undeterred
in her demands for justice: “Render a just decision for me against my
adversary,” she demands with bold courage.
Now that’s chutzpah! She had lost
her husband and his property was mishandled, though it belonged to her.
This is a widow who clearly now has nothing or no one
else in her life so she is at the mercy of fate as widows frequently were in
ancient times. Yet, she is determined to get her rights. For there were only two ways to have the judge
pay attention to you and to hear your case: either yelling the loudest in a
room of others to get his attention or bribery.
Apparently the widow’s pleading is ignored and she has no money to offer
him yet she persists determinedly.
This judge, shameless in his attitude, is overcome by her
persistence in what he must have imagined was seen as an obnoxious woman who
threatens to inflict physical harm on him.
He says: “I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come
and strike me.” - Before she punches me in the eye if I don’t give in to her
demands. You can see Jesus smile at
thought of the scene he describes and likely his audience as well as they
considered the woman who threatened the judge.
So, in order to once and for all remove her from his
courtroom, in spite of his cold heart, the judge grants the justice the widow
demands. He acted with really no best interest for her at all, something he
admittedly was not even capable of giving, but due to her unrelenting plea,
prayer we may say, he granted her constant request.
As odd as this story seems, it holds a valuable lesson
for us about how we are to pray.
Remember, Jesus told this parable to his disciples: “. . . about the
necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” If the crooked judge
gave the woman her right due, would not God, who is far more compassionate and
interested than the judge, give more and more frequently what his children ask
of him? As Jesus finishes, he adds a twist: “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?” If
such a corrupt judge grants a request, however outlandish the widow acted,
wouldn’t a benevolent God answer the prayers of those who ask him?
We must pray with trust and persistence that God indeed
cares for us, unlike the uncaring judge, and will indeed bestow good things,
justice, upon us. Faith means that we
must be undeterred in constantly going to the right source; to the one who
looks upon us with mercy and love, rather than seek for our true needs
elsewhere.
The judge was no friend of the woman, that’s for sure,
and she knew that. Yet, she consistently
badgered him and finally wore him down with her unfailing desire to receive
what is right and good. She appealed, we
might say, through his gruffness, to his better nature. This divine Judge wants
what is best for us and as we plead, we grow in both faith and trust.
Our first reading from Exodus offers a similar scene of
persistence, that of Moses at prayer as he stands watching the battle between
Amalek and Israel. Moses stands at the
top of the hill as Joshua engages the enemy in battle. With hands constantly raised in prayer to
God, Israel would win. The battle lasted
all day, Moses’ arms grew tired, so Aaron (his brother) and Hur prop his arms
on two rocks so they would remain raised in constant prayer – Israel won the
battle and justice was won. Like the
widow, he never gives up, he pleads persistently to God for what was good and
right. Can’t you just see this old man (Moses) tottering with his arms raised
supported by two others? A little humor to emphasize a serious point about God’s
seeking our attention.
What does the posture of Moses teach us about
prayer? He knew who God was so he raised
his hands wide and tall in a kind of reaching out. The traditional “orans” position before God
in prayer, as you see the priest who stands at the altar with his arms raised
as a prayerful gesture lifting up the prayers of the Mass and the people to God.
What does the posture of the widow tell us about
prayer? That before God we are bent over
and pleading, like a poor beggar who knows that she was powerless before the
judge but that he held the power that could change her life. So, she persists with courage and faith
knowing that despite his uncaring attitude, she would eventually find relief.
In other words, God is big, wide and open and we are
small and always needy. If we can see
ourselves and God in that light when we pray, we have a prayer that is always
heard. Even when the odds seem to be starkly against us, even in the face of
great injustice and drifting with no clear answers, we can learn to be like the
widow in our prayer. And the lesson is learned not by God but by us. The attitude of persistence reminds us to
rely more completely upon God and surrender our own ego centric views.
Yet God is not uninformed about our lives. He knows what
we need before we ask him, as Jesus tells us.
We don’t move the mind and heart of God as the widow changed the
attitude of the judge. But, our
persistent prayer is a response to a God of love who urges us in his
direction. Through prayer, and in particular
a constant rhythm of a spiritual life, we are moved and changed as our lives
point more and more to God and less to the things of this world for
satisfaction.
As we gather for our Eucharist, let’s take note of how we
pray. Do I here beg before God in
humility with a grateful heart for all he has given us, primarily his own
Son? Let’s believe that if we are upset
by what seems to be a ship drifting with no port to dock, by our prayer and
faith we can bring that ship safely in. All we have is gift given to us; may God
teach us through our prayer that at the heart of it all is a deeper trust in
the One who is the source of all things.
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