Gospel: Lk. 18, 1 – 8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ 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, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'”
The Lord said, “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? 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?”
Homily
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I remember as a little child kneeling alongside my parents’ bed as we prayed the family rosary every single night. It was only about twenty minutes but it seemed long and unending and there was no escape from it. Like it or not we had to be there. In the face of our reluctance our parents persevered and I dare say were blessed because of their perseverance. Our family, by and large has been spared the travails which so many families have had to suffer.
The gospel reading for this weekend, calls on us to be persistent in prayer. Jesus uses the parable of the unjust judge to present to his listeners an image of God who is always there for those who seek him. Prayer is much more than asking however it is a relationship with God which scripture describes as akin to a spousal relationship. The prophet Isaiah says “For your Maker is your husband– the LORD Almighty is his name– the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5). While this text properly refers to the whole people of God, it is also can be refereed to one’s individual relationship with God in the same way as the religious sister (nun) is often described as the bride of Christ. Unfortunately we often have an understanding of God which is totally different to whom God is. The God we worship is a God of love who wants our love him in return. Love is both emotion and an extraordinary act. We love with our total being and desire the total presence of the loved one. We want to be near them. We want to see them face to face, to touch and to be touched by them. We do anything to ensure their happiness. That is why St. John says of Christ; “that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…” While our relationship with God is a spiritual thing, God desires a deep intimate relationship with us. He wants to be involved with us in our daily affairs. He wants us to share with him our deepest secrets. In other words God wants to be in constant union with us and wants us to desire to be in constant union with him just as spouses who truly love each other are not satisfied with an occasional remembrance of their presence. Their love calls for something greater than an occasional remembrance of their presence and commits them to being present not occasionally but always. Spouses therefore use a whole host of measures to ensure that they are present to their loved ones and their loved ones to them as for instance, photographs on office desks, telephone calls, and all the other means which modern technology has to offer and of course the setting aside and protecting of quality time for each other. If our relationship with God is akin to the spousal relationship, then we too must take the necessary measures to ensure that we are present to God and God to us. When this happens there develops a great trust so that even if we do not experience God’s presence we know that God is there and we continue to make ourselves present to God. That is how Jesus Christ lived and that is why He could continue to be faithful even though he no longer felt the presence of his Father and cried out; “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?” That is how the saints lived. That is why mother Teresa could continue to be faithful even though she did not experience God’s presence for so many years This is the faith of which Jesus speaks at the end of the parable when he says; “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
May you and I, disciples of Jesus, develop that relationship of trust with God so that even if we do not experience God’s presence we continue to make ourselves present to God.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, help us to understand the depth of your love for us, a depth of love far greater than that of any human being. Help us to reject anything which can pose obstacles or dangers to our loving in return. Help us to so trust that even if we do not experience your presence with us we may never deny our presence to You. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our Mother who remained present even in the darkest moments, and Jesus your son. Amen
