The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 19, 2025

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?”

“The necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.”  It may seem impossible for us to “pray always” here on earth where we do become weary even despite our best efforts, and the Lord himself recognized this when he said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26, 41).  And again, praying “always” does not seem practical in a world in which we must work and carry out other responsibilities.  But we must not confuse the “always” with “continually” or “without a break”.  This we will be able to do only in heaven.  So what does the Lord teach us to do? To pray at all times of the day: to pray in the morning, at noon, during the afternoon, and in the evening.  We need not pray long prayers spend a lot of time praying, but throughout the day to offer praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God and to ask him for what we need.  This mindfulness of God will make us more capable of loving him and of receiving the good he has for us.

The Lord Jesus tells us a parable about a judge “who neither feared God nor respected any human being.”  The point of the parable is to show that perseverance in prayer brings an answer from God.  In the parable, the widow tests the patience of the judge; in reality, God tests our patience — not in order to cause us grief but in order to strengthen our virtue.  We can see how God works by looking at the opposite of the unjust judge: First, God loves and respects us, even to the extent of allowing us to use our free will in ways that are not good for us. Second, the unjust judge is unwilling to render a judgment in the widow’s case, but Almighty God is most willing to assist us and already knows how he will do this when we pray to him.  Third, the unjust judge finally renders a verdict for the widow out of fear, whereas God answers our prayers at the more apt time for us — not necessarily when we first ask for a hint but when our receiving it will do us the most good. This is what Jesus means by “speedily” — the earliest moment when it his answer will be of greatest benefit.  And he does this out of the infinite love he has for us.  

“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” This may seem an odd note on which to close the parable, but the Lord Jesus is talking about the role of faith in prayer: we pray because we firmly believe that God will help us in our need.  The Lord’s words come as a warning against complacency and despair in our faith, which in both cases result in a failure to pray.