"Render a just decision for me . . ."
Luke 18: 1-8
This Sunday we hear about prayer and in particular about
prayers of petition; asking God for things.
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, no style of prayer is more spoken about in the Scriptures than prayers
of petition.
So, if ever Jesus told a parable with a smile 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! This is a widow who clearly 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 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.” In other words, to be persistent in our
prayer. 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.
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. Like
a child that is asking to be picked up by his/her parents. As long as we see God in that light, we can
pray effectively. That’s why the priest
offers Mass in the same gesture – with hands raised in prayer not to be noticed
by the congregation but to cry out and plead God who is totally above and
beyond us. The fact that others came to prop Moses’ hands up also shows our
participation with one another in the unity of prayer. At Mass, for example, the People of God are
gathered and as the Church we lift our minds and hearts to God, along with the
priest who acts in the person of Christ, in petition and thanksgiving.
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.
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.
To pray always, to be persistent, may not be specifically
understood as constantly speaking to God about our needs. As Jesus reminds us at the end of the
parable, that to pray is to act in faith; it is to orient our lives in the
direction of God. To see our prayer as
part of a whole Church constantly throughout the world at prayer. As I speak, the Mass is being celebrated well
beyond this Church along with our celebration of the Eucharist. And even though
we conclude here, somewhere else the Mass is being said; Christians are at
prayer somewhere both collectively and individually throughout the entire
world; it never ceases but is a constant unity of prayer petitioning heaven in
each time zone and country as the days go by.
To see ourselves as direct participants in such a chorus of prayer is to
prayer without ceasing in persistent faith.
As we gather for our Eucharist, let’s take note of how we
pray. Am I here begging 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.
Almighty ever-living God,
grant that we may always conform our will to yours
and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
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