Daily Reflections

November 12, 2011
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER

One of the many titles of Luke’s Gospel is the “Gospel of prayer.” Within this Gospel, we see many accounts of prayer. The reading today is one of many.
Today, we meditate on the prayer of petition. Luke makes his comment at the beginning of the parable: pray constantly and do not lose heart.
Luke describes two characters. One is the judge who has no regard for people. He is incapable of shame. On the other hand, there is the widow, an example of the poor and marginalized in the society. Luke does not tell us of the widow’s circumstances. We do know that she is persistent; she would come repeatedly. The judge, as we understand, has no care for God or man. However, because of the persistence of the widow, he gives in to her petitions. He wants to be spared from any violence; he does not want a black eye. The moral of the story is that if this corrupt judge can give in, how much more God, the righteous judge, will give in to the cry of those who call upon him?
The story is very simple, touched with Luke’s humor. We are to “storm heaven” with our prayers. Jesus tells us to call out day and night. No matter how often we pray, we are not to lose hope and heart over what may seem so impossible. St. Paul tells us that good things come to those who wait upon the Lord. The widow could have easily become discouraged. Moreover, she could have given up a long time ago. Seemingly, the judge would not budge. He would not give in. It was only to spare himself from being bothered that he gave in. One may wonder why it took the judge so long to favor the widow. It tells us just how corrupt and non-fearing he was to God and man. Taking care of the widow was one of the highest statutes of the law. This poor widow had every right to be heard and fairly dealt with. The widow gives us a fine example of persistence in prayer. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Reflection Question:
Are you persistent in prayer?

Lord, I always call upon You in my need. Help me not lose heart. Amen.

St. Machar, pray for us.