Trong bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy cách mà người thẩm phán bất công đã bị buộc phải làm rõ công lý chỉ vì sự kiên trì và bền bỉ của một bà góa phụ, bởi vậy, không lẽ Thiên Chúa chẳng nhìn thấy được sự công lý, và lẽ phải được thực hiện giữa con cái của Ngài, những người đang khóc than đêm ngài với Ngài, ngay cả khi Ngài đã trì hoãn việc giúp họ? (Lk.18: 7) Các môn đệ và những người Do thái đương thời đã sống trong một thời gian đã muộn màng; vì vậy cuộc sống chúng ta hôm nay cũng thế.
Chúa Giêsu đã bảo các môn đệ của Ngài là hãy duy trì niềm tin vào Thiên Chúa, Vì sự công lý và lòng trung thành của chúng ta đối với Thiên Chúa không phải là chỉ là một cú gọi điện thoại hay một lời nhắn tin qua điện thoại di động trong là đủ. Câu hỏi thực sự vế lòng trung tín của con người chúng ta hôm nay là một trong những yêu cầu của Chúa Giêsu như trong bài Tin mừng của Thánh Luca: "khi Con Người ngự đến, liệu Người còn thấy lòng tin trên mặt đất nữa chăng? " (Lk.18: 8).
Vậy trong những lúc Thiên Chúa luôn trung thành với chúng ta, chúng ta có trung thành với Thiên Chúa như Thiên Chúa đã luôn trung thành với chúng ta? Khi Thiên Chúa muốn công lý được thực hiện, vậy khi nào thì chúng ta mới biết nghe và giữ lời của Chúa?. Chúng ta có sẽ trở thành người môn đệ thật sự của Chúa Giêsu và sẵn sằng là những khí cụ của lòng từ bi và công lý của Ngài chăng?
Đó là những câu hỏi đã thách thức chúng ta để đi theo Chúa Kitô trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta. Một cách cụ thể hơn là tinh thần hiếu khách và tình yêu thương được coi như là một biểu hiện của đức tin và tình yêu như đã được nhắc đến trong bài đọc thứ nhất hôm nay.
"Lạy Chúa, xin giúp cho chúng con biết sống một cuộc sống của Chúa Kitô trong thực tế của cuộc sống mỗi hàng ngày của chúng ta."
In the Gospel reading, we see how an unjust judge can be forced to do justice by the persistence of a widow, so will not God see justice done to His children who cry to Him day and night, even when he delays to help them? (Lk.18: 7)The disciples and the community, for whom Luke was writing, were living in a time of delay; so we are too. Jesus asked His disciples to maintain their faith in God. It is not the justice and fidelity to God that we should call to question. The real question is the one asked by Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk.18:8)
While God is always faithful, will we be the same?
When God wants justice done, when will we hear God’s word and keep it?
Will we become Jesus’ disciples and be His instruments of Compassion and Justice? these questions challenge us in the following of Christ in our daily living. One specific way is the spirit of hospitality and love as an expression of faith and love as reiterated in the first reading. “Lord, help us live the life of Christ in our daily realities.”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” Luke 18:6–8
It’s interesting that Jesus uses the example of a dishonest judge to illustrate the importance of praying to God, calling out to Him day and night for justice. As the parable goes, this judge cared little about a widow in his town who continually came to him asking for a just decision. He felt as though she was continually bothering him. Because she was so persistent, the judge thought to himself, “…because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.” Jesus’ conclusion from this parable is quoted above.
The simple lesson we ought to learn from this parable is that we must be persistent in prayer. God will always answer our prayers, seeing to it that “justice is done” speedily. But many people have prayed and prayed and prayed for some situation, prayed even for justice, and it appeared that God did not answer their prayer. Thus, some may question the promise of Jesus that persistent prayer will always be answered and justice always be rendered.
If this is your experience, it is essential that you remind yourself of two things. First, Jesus’ words are true. When we persevere in prayer and trust in God, He hears us and answers. This is our Lord’s unwavering promise. But secondly, the “justice” that God delivers may often be different than the justice we expect. It may be that we want someone to pay for a wrong they did to us, but after praying fervently, our expectation is not met by our Lord. For this reason, it is essential that we know that God answers every prayer we pray, but in accord with His perfect will and wisdom. Therefore, God’s view of justice at times may be very different than ours. At times, His justice is satisfied by His invitation to us to show mercy in abundance. True mercy always satisfies justice.
Take, for example, the case of someone speaking in a rude manner to you. If you offer that situation to our Lord, He will enter in and provide His grace for you to deal with it in accord with His will. Perhaps He will soften the other person’s heart so that they apologize, or perhaps, if they don’t apologize and their heart is not softened, then God’s answer to your prayer will be to give you the grace of humility so that you can love that person despite their unrepentance. Regardless of the way our Lord intervenes, the fact remains that He will intervene and enable you to fulfill His perfect will. If, however, your prayer is that the person be held accountable and condemned, then you are trying to tell God what to do, and He will not accede to your request. All of our prayer must ultimately be for the fulfillment of God’s perfect will in accord with His wisdom.
Reflect, today, upon how completely you trust in God. Do you know, with certainty, that He will answer every prayer that you fervently pray with faith in accord with His divine will? Believing this is freeing and enables you to live more fully in union with Him. If there is some issue with which you struggle right now, even some apparent injustice, then entrust it to our Lord, day and night without ceasing, and know that His grace will guide you as He answers you in accord with His will.
My all-wise Lord, Your will is perfect in all things, and You always bestow Your grace upon me when I pray without ceasing. Please give me a trusting Heart, dear Lord, so that I will never waver in my hope that You will always answer my prayers in accord with Your will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Pray Always: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus teaches his disciples about their life of prayer. The first teaching is about the need to pray continually. The second teaching is to pray with humility (Luke 18:9-14). Both teachings about prayer take place in the context of Jesus’ teaching about the coming of judgment, the arrival of the Kingdom, and the advent of the Son of Man. Prayer is conversation with God: “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (CCC, 2559). Praying continually or always means being in communion and communication with God: “The life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him” (CCC, 2565). Do I mark the beginning, middle, and end of each day with prayer? Do my thoughts and does my heart lift up to God throughout the day?
2. Pray without Becoming Weary: In the parable, Jesus teaches us to pray without becoming weary. He wants us to persevere in prayer. This tireless fervor can come only from love. “Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love” (CCC, 2742). We need to unite our prayer to all our works and unite our good works to prayer (CCC, 2745). The parable invites us to see that if a corrupt judge will answer the continual prayer of a widow, then how much more will our Father in heaven, who is good, merciful, and just, answer our continual prayer. Just as the widow does not grow weary in her pursuit of justice, we should not grow weary as we request good things from God. When we persevere in prayer, especially when it seems like our prayer is not heard, this perseverance contributes to an increase in our filial trust. From our point of view, it can seem like God is slow to answer our prayer. But Jesus tells us that his Father is not slow to answer. The Father knows exactly what we need and when we need it.
3. Welcome those who Preach the Gospel: One of the reasons why the Third Letter of John was written was to encourage the addressee, “Gaius” to show hospitality toward traveling Christians and preachers in need of food and lodging. “By providing care and further provisions for them, Gaius will be acting in a way worthy of the God they mutually serve. He is fulfilling the word spoken by Jesus, ‘Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me’ (Matthew 10:40)” (Anderson and Keating, James, First, Second, and Third John, 265). The traveling preachers are worthy of this care because they are working for Christ to advance the Kingdom of God. Those who preach the Gospel and those who welcome those who preach are all coworkers in the truth. This is because the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches the deepest truths about God, the world, and humanity.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me to pray, to enter into deep conversation with you as a friend. Open my ears to hear your voice, open my eyes to see things as you do, and open my mind to embrace your word.
The End of Time: Towards the end of each liturgical year, the Church reflects upon the end of time. “The ‘resurrection of all the dead’… will precede [Christ’s coming] ‘in his glory, and all the angels with him.... Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats’” (CCC 1038). This anticipation of Our Lord’s second coming is an essential part of our faith. During the Mass after the consecration the people acclaim, “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.” St. Bernard spoke of the three arrivals of our Lord: his earthly life, his hidden presence within us, and, finally, his arrival at the end of time. Advent presages the first coming and the end of the liturgical year presages the final coming, and both prepare us for when he comes to us daily–silently, interiorly–but truly.
God, who is our Father, also expects these words. Jesus says it quite often in the Gospel and we know that to speak with God is to pray. Our prayer is the voice of faith of our belief in him, also of our confidence, and it would be great if it would always be the manifestation of our love.
For our prayer to be trustful and persevering, St. Luke says that «Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should pray continually and not lose heart» (Lk 18:1). We know we can pray by praising our Lord, by thanking him, or by acknowledging our human weakness —the sin—, and imploring God's mercy, but most of the time, we shall be demanding some grace or favor. And, even if we do not immediately get what we are asking for, only the very fact of being able to address ourselves to God, to explain to this Someone our sorrow or our worries, will already mean we have achieved something. And, surely —even if not immediately, but eventually— we shall get a reply, because «Will God not do justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night even if He delays in answering them?» (Lk 18:7).
With regard to this evangelic parable, St. John Climacus says «that judge who feared not God, finally yields to the widow's insistence so that she stops coming and wearing him out. God will do justice to the soul, his widow because of sin, in front of the body, his first enemy, and in front of all the devils, his invisible adversaries. The Divine Trader will certainly know how to properly trade in our good wares, to place his great goods at our disposal with amorous solicitude, and to promptly hear our prayers».
Perseverance in prayer, confidence in God. Tertulian said «God can be overcome only by prayer».
What can a shameless and unjust judge pitted against a crusty and pestering woman teach us about justice and vindication in the kingdom of God? Jesus tells a story that is all too true - a defenseless widow is taken advantaged of and refused her rights. Through sheer persistence she wears down an unscrupulous judge until he gives her justice. Persistence pays off, and that's especially true for those who trust in God. Jesus illustrates how God as our Judge is much quicker to bring us his justice, blessing, and help when we need it. But we can easily lose heart and forget to ask our heavenly Father for his grace and help.
Faith-filled persistence reaps the fruit of justice and grace
Jesus told this parable to give fresh hope and confidence to his disciples. In this present life we can expect trials and adversity, but we are not without hope in God. The Last Judgment will reveal that God's justice triumphs over all the injustices perpetrated by his creatures and that God's love is stronger than death (Song of Songs 8:6). The just who put their trust in God can look forward with hope to that day when they will receive their reward. Jesus ends his parable with a probing question for us. Will you and I have faith - the faith that perseveres to the end - when Jesus returns in glory to judge the living and the dead? Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to us. If we want to live, grow, and persevere in faith until the end, then we must nourish our faith with the word of God and ask the Lord to increase it (Luke 17:5). When trials and setbacks disappoint you, where do you place your hope? Do you pray with expectant faith and confidence in God's merciful care and providence for you?
"Lord Jesus, make my faith strong that I may never doubt your promises. When I face trials and difficulties, help me to trust in your unfailing love and to find joy and contentment in you alone."
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