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Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to
pray always without becoming weary. Luke 18:1
In our parable for today, we have the witness of a widow who came
to a dishonest judge and continuously begged him for a just
judgment. Though the judge did not care about the woman, he
eventually rendered a just decision for her because she was so
persistent. It’s interesting that Jesus used the image of a
“dishonest judge” to teach us about persistent prayers being
answered. He does so because He wants us to understand that if even
those who are dishonest respond to persistence, then so much more
will the Just Judge of Heaven respond to persistence.
Will God answer any prayer you pray if you offer that prayer day
and night, day after day without fail? Does God eventually give
into our requests as a parent might give into a child who keeps
begging for something? Not exactly. One of the most important
qualifiers mentioned in this parable is the word “just.” We read
that the woman’s plea before the judge was, “render a just decision
for me…” At the conclusion of the parable, Jesus gives this
interpretation: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen
ones who call out to him day and night?” When we pray, we ought not
pray for whatever we want. We ought not pray for our preference,
selfish desires, or our own ideas. We must pray only for the
justice of God. When we do so with unwavering perseverance, God
will secure our rights and bring forth His justice.
Justice, in the mind of God, is not only about righting certain
wrongs. The prime example of this is the death of our Lord Himself.
Clearly, Jesus was purely innocent and yet He suffered greatly. For
that reason, would we conclude that the suffering and death of the
Son of God was an injustice? Not really. The reason for this is
that justice can be achieved best by mercy. Because Jesus embraced
the injustice of His suffering and death and turned it into a free
embrace out of love, this “injustice” became a sacrifice of love by
which an abundance of mercy was bestowed. Jesus had every right to
call down fire from Heaven and to destroy those who sinned against
Him. But He had a far better plan. Instead, by choosing to accept
the injustice of the Cross, and by freely embracing it with His own
will, the injustice was transformed and a far greater good came
forth.
In our own lives, whenever we are wronged by another, we are often
tempted to anger and to desire revenge in the name of justice. We
want them to pay for what they did. If you ever feel that way, know
that the greatest form of justice is mercy. Know that your free
embrace of injustice brings forth the transforming power of God in
a way that punishment or retribution could never accomplish. This
is the form of justice we must pray for night and day. We must beg
God for the ability to accept all sufferings with love, to offer
those sufferings as a sacrifice, and to allow them to be
transformed into mercy. If this is our persistent prayer, we can be
certain that our prayer will be answered.
Reflect, today, upon anything for which you desire justice. Is
there anything that has been unfair in your life? Do you dwell upon
any hurt inflicted upon you by another? As you call those things to
mind, know that the power of your persistent prayer has the
potential to transform those sufferings into God’s mercy. Beg for
this gift and know that God will always answer those
prayers.
Most just Judge, You desire to transform every injustice into
mercy by calling us to freely embrace those injustices out of love.
This is a high calling, dear Lord, but it is also a glorious one.
Please give me the grace I need to follow Your example and to
persevere in this form of prayer always. Jesus, I trust in You.
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