Thoughts for the Day

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We continue to look at issues concerning our faith and trust in God, today, and the parable of the Unjust Judge reminds me of how our world seems to be so swayed by those who shout the loudest or look the more interesting. When people are at the bottom of the social pile, the ordinary ones who don't ask for much but want justice, they can be denied it. When a calamity happens to them, like the murder of a loved one, it can make little headlines and can disappear from the public attention quickly, while the media chases after those they consider more newsworthy. I am thinking especially of the tragic murder of two students recently along with an older school caretaker. The latter was pretty much ignored by the media.

In a Jewish court there were always three Judges appointed - each side nominating one Judge, and then a third who was independent. So we must assume that the Judge in the parable was appointed by King Herod or by the Romans not by the Jews, and these were synonymous with corruption at the time. Those with money would get the "justice" they paid for! But in this case because of her persistence in continually demanding justice, the widow gets her reward.

We don't need to shout the loudest to be heard by God, nor do we need to be wealthy or attractive to get God's attention as with today's media. We just need to persist! We need to be consistent in asking for His help, allowing Him to find the solution (which is often different to ours), and not stop when God does answer our prayer!

Lord God,
may we come to You each day
with all our national, international
and personal concerns.
Instil in us the desire to have regular contact
with You so that we may be persistent.
May our faith be strong enough to see
that sometimes what we ask for
is not the best solution,
and that Your solution will always be better.
Amen.