Daily Readings - Sat Nov 13 2021
Luke
1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.2He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'4For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"6And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?8I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful imagery of God’s intervention and the call to persistent prayer. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom vividly describes God’s deliverance of His people, recounting the parting of the Red Sea and the transformation of the desert into a safe passage. This passage reflects on the Exodus, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, where God’s power and mercy were manifest. It reminds us that God’s Word is both creative and redemptive, capable of transforming chaos into order and danger into safety. The second reading, from Luke’s Gospel, presents Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. This story emphasizes the importance of relentless prayer, teaching us that even an unwilling judge can be moved by persistence, and thus, how much more will our loving God respond to our cries.
These readings are connected by the theme of trust in God’s justice and deliverance. The Book of Wisdom highlights God’s past actions on behalf of His people, while the Gospel challenges us to trust in His present and future responses to our prayers. Both readings encourage us to have faith in God’s timing and His desire to bring about justice and peace in our lives. The widow’s persistence in the face of the judge’s reluctance mirrors our own experiences of waiting for God’s answers to our prayers. Yet, the readings assure us that God, unlike the judge, is always just and loving, and He will vindicate His people in His own time.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with prayer and our trust in God’s providence. Do we approach prayer with the persistence of the widow, confident that God hears us? Or do we lose heart when our prayers seem unanswered? The readings remind us that prayer is not about wearing God down but about deepening our relationship with Him. Like the Israelites who witnessed God’s miracles in the wilderness, we are called to trust in His presence and provision, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. Let us pray with perseverance, knowing that God’s justice and love will ultimately prevail.