Luke 18:1-8

3 John 5-8

Psalm 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable

about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. 

He said, “There was a judge in a certain town

who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 

And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,

‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’

For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,

‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 

because this widow keeps bothering me

I shall deliver a just decision for her

lest she finally come and strike me.’” 

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. 

But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I always need to sit in the school of prayer led by your Son. When I become prideful in my prayer, humble me! When I grow weary in prayer, strengthen me! When I forget you throughout the day, bring me back to 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.

Living the Word of God: How is my life of prayer? Is it characterized by continuousness and tirelessness? Does it fortify and sustain my good works of Christian hospitality and charity? Do I see prayer as a duty or as life-sustaining? What do I need to improve in my life of prayer?