In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus tells His disciples a parable “about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” The parable is about a dishonest judge who ignores the constant pleading of a widow seeking justice. Eventually, the judge gives a just judgment to the widow, not because of some conversion in his heart, but because he is afraid of what the widow may do to him. And so, at the end of the parable, Jesus says: “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?”
When we look at human history, we can acknowledge countless times when injustice and oppression have occurred, accompanied by violence and even attempts at genocide. So it’s hard to know what to do with the words Jesus speaks: “Will not God secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?” It sure does seem that God has been very slow in answering the prayers for justice. We can find ourselves wondering why God cannot act now the way we hear in our first reading from Exodus (17:8-13), when “Amalek came and waged war against Israel.” The battle between Israel and Amalek might have been long, but it didn’t take centuries, and the victory of Israel was decisive.
I can’t say that I have a good answer about the seeming delay. But two things do come to mind. One is the consideration that part of the answer has to do with us.
Prayer is not only asking God to do such and such a thing for us or for others, but being open to do what God is calling us to do.
Are we willing to do our part in securing “the rights” of all? It is tempting to equate justice with revenge. At other times, we see injustice only when we perceive ourselves as the victims, content to dismiss the outcries of those we consider “other.” We see equity as giving privilege, not justice, to others.
In the face of all that, we are called to persevere, knowing the second, most important thing that came to mind: God may seem slow to act, but God will secure justice for all. A few weeks ago, I quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and I need to do it again:
“How long, not long. For the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Justice will probably not come with the destruction of those we see as enemies, but with the conversion of hearts. And so we are called to keep praying and keep going, as the widow does in the parable. During the battle described in our first reading, the Israelites were winning when Mose had his hands raised. But when he laid down his hands, the Israelites were losing. So Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his hands raised. We need to help each other not grow weary. We need to help our seniors know how precious they are, even when they may not be as active as they once were. We need to encourage our youth, especially when they experience obstacles and disappointments in life. And we need to be there for those in-between, who are often in the position of caring for both the elderly and the young.
As St. Paul writes to Timothy in our second reading (2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:2), we are to persist in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, “whether it is convenient or inconvenient,” and we sure need to help support each other in that!
When Jesus comes, may he not find that we have given in to hate and fear and despair, but have continued to put our trust in him and were still willing to love each other.
I am again reminded of the words from a hymn: “I don’t feel no ways tired. I’ve come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me the road would be easy. I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.”
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
