Friday, November 17, 2006
SATURDAY 32ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
NOVEMBER 18, 2006
SATURDAY 32ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR II
3 JOHN 5-8
Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and
sisters, especially for strangers; they have testified to your love
before the Church. Please help them in a way worthy of God to
continue their journey. For they have set out for the sake of the
Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore, we ought
to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.
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?"
REFLECTION
The parable in today's Gospel contrasts God with a corrupt judge. A
poor widow goes to court to obtain justice. In Jesus' day the
magistrates appointed by either Herod or the Romans were utterly
corrupt. Justice was not given, it was sold. Only the rich could
expect decisions in their favor. The poor widow had no hope of
obtaining justice precisely because she was poor. But she insisted
on justice and nagged the judge to the point that he was afraid she
would do him physical harm!
Jesus then contrasts the attitude of the unjust judge to the widow
with the attitude of God to his children who are calling out to him
for justice. Jesus asks, if the unjust judge finally gives in to the
widow because of her nagging, will not God our loving Father answer
the prayers of his children when they call out to him for justice?
The point of the parable, Luke had said at the beginning, is the
necessity of praying always and not losing heart.
The question Jesus asks at the end of the parable is a
warning: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith in the
world?" That is, will he find people who persevere in prayer, their
faith continuing strong and sturdy, although it may seem as though
God is not listening to them. To make the question more concrete:
if the Lord were to come to me or to you today, would he find faith
in us-that is, a faith that is expressed in not losing heart even
though it may seem that God is not listening to our prayers?
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the personal intentions of Stefanie.
- In Thanksgiving: Bro. Nanding.
- for the speedy recovery of Bing Casingal's mother.
- for the personal intentions of Emerito Legaspi.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Annie Singzon. Eternal rest
grant unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she and
all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jody Sim
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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