Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 3 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ 4 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, 5 because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 6 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 7 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?”
Jesus states the purpose of the parable to the disciples; it was necessary for them to pray always without becoming discouraged (v. 1). Jesus told the disciples that there was an unjust judge who neither feared God nor respected women, and a widow came before him many times with a legal dispute and asked him to render a just decision in her case. The judge was unwilling to render judgment initially but because of her persistence and concern that she may continue to bother him and may even harm him, he decided to render a judgment. If an unjust judge can render a just judgment, will not an infinitely just God quickly answer the prayers of those who have faith and persist in prayer? Jesus said, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him (Lk. 11:13)?”
Christians are to persist in prayer, even when experiencing trials, until their prayers are granted. God will not abandon the elect, but they must remain faithful to Him and persevere in prayer out of love for Him (Rom. 12:12). They must live as disciples of Christ, take up their crosses daily, and follow him until the last day (Lk. 9:23).
Almighty God, grant us the grace to raise our hearts and souls to you each day in spite of any hardships we may face. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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