Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 16th October 2022
Gospel Luke 18: 1–8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’, he said, ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, ‘I want justice from you against my enemy!’ For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, ‘Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.’
And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
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| She kept coming to him... |
Gospel reflection from St Beuno's Outreach
Before I begin to pray, I spend a few moments reflecting on my mood. Why have I come to speak to the Lord today? Is there something bothering me which I need to ask him about? Maybe it’s a recurring problem I keep bringing to him?
Whatever it is, I simply acknowledge it without judging, and turn my attention to the Gospel text. I read it slowly, then put it down and ponder.
In what ways does this parable have anything to do with my own life at the moment?
Maybe as I read the word ‘enemy‘, a particular face or name comes to my mind. I accept this, and tell the Lord about my relationship with this person or issue. Have I been repeatedly praying about this, or have I tried to deal with the problem on my own?
I consider Jesus’s promise of prompt justice. Maybe this will only become apparent to me with hindsight.
However I feel at the moment, I entrust the Lord with my worries about injustices around me and further afield.
I spend some time with Jesus’s last question: ’Will the Son of Man find any faith on earth?’ If I can, I let him know what I intend to do to help bring greater faith in the people I meet.
In time, I conclude my prayer with a slow sign of the cross.
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