Gospel: November 16, 2024
November 16, 2024 (Saturday)
32nd Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 4/(Green/White)
Blessed Virgin Mary/St. Gertrude, virgin
St. Margaret of Scotland
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 112: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
1st Reading: 3 John 5-8
Gospel: Luke 18: 1-8
Jesus told them a parable, to show them that they should pray continually and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor people. In the same town was a widow who kept coming to him, saying: ‘Defend my rights against my opponent.’ For a time he refused, but finally he thought: ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”
And Jesus explained, “Listen to what the evil judge says. Will God not do justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night even if he delays in answering them? I tell you, he will speedily do them justice. Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Reflection:
“Do not lose heart.”
Today’s Gospel pericope summons us to be persistent in our prayers and to pray without ceasing. To graphically explain this, Jesus told a story to his listeners. He narrated that there in a certain town was a judge who neither fear God nor care about the people. In that same town, there was a widow who kept on asking the judge to defend her rights against her adversary.
For a long time, the judge refused to attend to the needs of the widow when finally he gave in to the plea of widow for justice. In this passage, Luke has put prayer and justice together. Moreover, we may also reflect not only on the persistence of the widow in demanding for justice but her persistence, for a long time, also served as a critique of the uncaring and corrupt ways of the judge.
As we proceed in this faith journey, we should be more and more mindful of and responsive to the perpetual challenge that our faith expressions be translated into just practices. True holiness remains inseparable from social justice. The widow’s holiness should humble a society that claims itself to be Christian but remains silent amidst human rights violations.
