In today’s Gospel, Jesus introduces us to two strikingly different characters: a powerful judge and a powerless widow. The contrast could not be sharper.
First, we meet the judge. Jesus makes it clear – this man has no fear of God and no respect for others. If there were a register of Nobel Peace Prize nominees, he wouldn’t even make the waiting list.
Then, there’s the widow. She can’t seem to get any justice from this judge, no matter how tearfully she pleads. So, she decides to make herself impossible to ignore.
Luke spares us the details, but our imagination can fill them in: maybe she tossed rocks at the judge’s window; hounded him as he left the courtroom; crashed his dinner parties; or maybe even slipped a dead mouse into his mailbox.
Eventually, the judge gives in – not because his heart softened toward God or humanity, but simply because she wore him down.
The lesson of the parable is clear: if persistence can move a corrupt judge, how much more will a loving and upright God hear the prayers of His people?
This fits with so many other things Jesus tells us: “Ask, and it shall be given to you. Knock, and the door shall be opened. Seek, and you shall find. Whatever you ask in prayer, believe, and it will be given to you.”
And yet, we still live in a world of disasters, earthquakes and tragedy. We pray faithfully, persistently, and terrible things still happen. People often ask priests why God allows such suffering.
The truth is, we have no perfect answer. We can say, “God knows best” – and that is true –but it doesn’t erase our longing to understand, or our need to see God as good.
What we do know is this: God does not deal out cruelty as a test, or keep score of our faith. The book of Job makes this clear. Job was blameless and God-fearing, and yet his life fell apart. His home and property destroyed, his children killed, his body racked with disease and pain.
His friends offered useless advice, blaming hidden sins or even “future sins.” Job sank into despair, cursing the day of his birth and begging God to leave him alone.
Finally, God speaks. Not with explanations, not with a verdict on Job’s innocence or guilt. Instead, Job encounters God directly. In that moment, his questions, complaints and speculation fall away. He simply meets the Lord.
Job’s story shows us that trust in God is the only thing that makes the weight of evil bearable.
And that’s where the invincible widow comes back in. Whatever your struggles in prayer – whatever questions you carry about suffering – God still calls you to keep going. Prayer is never meant to be a monologue, but a dialogue.
And after you have spoken, listen. God will answer. Perhaps not with what you want, but always with what you truly need.
As always, I look forward to Fr. Bob’s explanation of the gospel. It is invaluable.
It gives me hope that despite our struggles, there is always hope.