by: Deacon Paul Rooney (deaconpaul@cox.net)
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Cycle “C" - October 17, 2004)

Q. 289: Is today’s parable about the widow and unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8) teaching us that “hassling” God is the only way to get our prayers answered?

A. 289: The theme of “persistent prayer” needs to be understood not as “hassling” God, but rather as a consequence of a strong faith that believes God hears prayers and will indeed answer them in his own time. So the underlying theme is really the need to have faith in all circumstances, good or adverse.

“Difficult” parables can many times have abundant light shed upon them by comparing the gospel reading with the First Reading. In today’s case the comparison would be to Exodus 17:8-13. Victory came to the Hebrew warriors against the Amalekites only as long as they could see Moses holding up his arms and staff — signs that God was present and supportive. If Moses became tired and his arms dropped, the Hebrews would start losing ground, because their faith concerning God’s presence began to waver.

In the gospel story, the poor widow found herself in adverse circumstances. She had been treated unjustly, and now she is also being denied justice from a judicial authority. But she has faith that Yahweh will provide justice, because she knows of his love and care for widows and others who are also powerless. So she continues her efforts based upon that faith. And her unwavering faith leads to a satisfactory ending for her (18:5). Jesus has already told the disciples to have faith and persevere (18:1), and he concludes his story with the question, “will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes (18:8)? Will he?

Know Your Catechism! One measure of the depth of our faith is our constancy in prayer, because prayer is a battle of faith and the triumph of perseverance (CCC #2573). Do we pray in all circumstances — not just the bad, but also the good (CCC #2609-10)? Humility is the foundation of prayer, as we realize our total dependence on God for everything we have or need (CCC #2559).

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha