29 Sunday C Parable of the unjust judge

Parable of the unjust judge

            Even though this parable focuses mainly on the reactions of the unjust judge, on his lack of fear of God and his indifference about justice, it should be better called the parable of the persevering widow, because she is the real protagonist, the one who wins at the end and is vindicated. She is our model in front of injustices and the indifference of human beings. She teaches us how to react when we find ourselves in hopeless situations or in great trouble: persevere in prayer.

            The first reading of the Mass talks about Moses watching Joshua fighting against Amalek. While his arms were outstretched, the Israelites were winning; when he grew tired and let his arms go down, they began to lose. What a responsibility for Moses! People’s lives were at stake. We too experience the same. When we stop praying, the devil has the upper hand; when we persevere in our prayer, the faith of the Church strengthens. People’s souls are somehow connected to our prayer. This teaches us the lesson that we should always have our arms stretched out, in prayer, that we Christians are called to sustain the world with our spiritual life, that we cannot give up and lower our defences. We have the responsibility of supporting others with our struggle, with our sacrifices and with our personal witness.

            The Gospel says specifically that Jesus taught us this parable to teach us how to pray always and not to lose heart. How can we pray without ceasing, as Saint Paul recommends us? In principle it is not possible, because we are not angels. Saint Augustine says that prayer is an exercise of desire. We are created for God and we are restless until we find him. We all have in our hearts a desire for eternity, for the infinite, a longing for our Creator, even though many times we cannot articulate this pain. Prayer finds the embers of this feeling in our hearts and blows them to enkindle them, to eventually create a huge fire that burns the whole forest of our sins. Saint Augustine comments that desire is your prayer; and if your desire is without ceasing, your prayer will also be without ceasing.

            The Eastern tradition have the famous Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Through repetition and breathing, it can become a part of your life, without realising you are praying, like the beating of the heart. In the Western Church we have the Rosary, a prayer that can be said anywhere, anytime. Many saints give us an example of their immersion in God.

            Modern society tells us that it is possible to concentrate on one thing all the time: our mobile phones. They are always in our hands, beeping, receiving messages, taking photos, talking, checking, clicking. They want constant attention, like babies. Big companies design strategies to keep us hooked to the little screen, and try to sell us data for us to keep the gadget happy. We look for hot spots where we can rest and spend time with our handset. Can we do the same for God? Can we give Him more time, more attention? Prayer allows us to connect with God. It is free and we don’t need a fast expensive gadget. It is always on in our hearts. And it connects us with eternity, infinity and beyond.

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