Reflection
The first reading comes from the shortest book in the New Testament, the Third Letter of Saint John. It’s so brief that on a single page, the footnotes in my Bible easily outweigh the scripture itself. Yet within these few lines lies a quiet, powerful message about staying true to one’s faith when facing toxic authority.
In the next paragraph that follows today’s reading, John writes to encourage his community as they navigate the shadow of Diotrephes—a local leader consumed by ego, control, and a need to assert dominance, even over the Apostle John. Diotrephes creates division and rejects traveling believers simply because they don’t conform to his narrow circle. In a world that often demands compliance with harsh or self-serving leaders,
John gently reminds us that true integrity requires the courage to resist tyranny, stay grounded in a loving and responsive God, and open our hearts to the stranger.
This theme of quiet resilience continues in the Gospel of Luke with the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. The widow possesses no social status or institutional power, yet she holds an unwavering inner conviction. She refuses to let a corrupt judge crush her spirit, persisting in her plea for justice. In the parable, Jesus insists that genuine prayer isn’t passive resignation; it is a soulful, persistent dialogue with God that awakens our inner strength and trust that God will answer our prayers, one way or another.
Rather than letting us wallow in fear, scripture invites us to align our hearts with a higher truth that we boldly defend. When we live authentically according to God’s love and values, we find a deep, quiet strength we might not have known we possessed—allowing us to let go of fear, stand up against injustice, and shine our light in the world.
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