Persistent prayer. Lk 18,9-14

In a particular city, there was a judge who did not fear God and did not shame people. A widow in that city came to him with a request: Protect me from my adversary. But he didn’t want to for a long time. But then you said: Although I don’t fear God and I don’t shame people, I will defend that widow when she tires me so much so that she doesn’t keep bothering me. Jesus said: Listen to what the unjust judge says! And God will not defend his elect, who call to him day and night, and he will not pay attention to them? He will protect them in no time. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? › Luke 18, 2-8.

The Lord wanted to emphasize persistence in prayer in the parable. The widow felt threatened and begged the judge to defend and help her. There is a similar situation in the relationship between man and God. He often gets into a dangerous state where God is the best defender. Just as the judge defended the widow, God will help him too if he can humbly, persistently, and with faith ask.

Let’s also think about the second issue of the parable: Will the Son of Man find faith on Earth when he comes to the end of the world? God knows His creatures well and knows the fickleness of their free will. He did a lot to bring them into his kingdom and did everything to keep them there. The magnitude of his sacrifice screams at each of us: Realize the value of your soul and how dearly Jesus paid for it on the cross! The judge, in his vanity, decided to protect the widow from annoying him.

God is not frivolous but excellent, caring for each one of us. He knows very well how the first people betrayed him when they let themselves be deceived, and today, there is much more lying since people have not changed much. Even today, they are curious, want to command others, and want to be meaningful, just like the first parents were. To achieve the same goal, the modern man does everything and commits fraud, lies, bribery, and corruption. At the same time, there is no activity that he does not apply in the struggle to “have more” and “be more.” He wants others to respect him for his wisdom because he wants to enjoy himself more. He uses unfair means to do this, forgetting that his time on earth is limited, and he does not know to whom it will all fall when his soul is called before the eternal judge.

The simile belongs to the parable of the friend who granted the night’s request (Luke 11:5-8). A genuine Christian should combine perseverance in prayer with faith that he will be heard. Confident and persistent prayer is a constant surrender of our life to God without dissatisfaction, despair, and doubt. Persistence in prayer does not consist in the need to persuade the Father to do something that he would not otherwise do but is a constant self-surrender to God, his love, and wisdom. This creates a connection of life with God, who loves man and blesses him, and he, in turn, hands over his life, work, worries, and joys to him in prayer. For Christian prayer, two concepts are correct: God and prayer.

The correct understanding of God about prayer is the one who imagines God not as a helper in need but as an almighty Father. The man was given gifts: reason, will, feeling, physical strength, and the material world with the command to rule over it. Pray is often misdirected because a person needs to do what he wants to pray for. He will always have reason to supplicate prayer in natural matters, especially in matters of salvation, where he depends entirely on God’s goodness. We must also understand the meaning of prayer correctly. Prayer is not a dialogue but a sign of human devotion to God and trust in his love and wisdom. God must be silent so that prayer is a test of trust and love. The greater the trust and love, the more God’s goodness is open, as the apostle also says: I know that all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28).

The parable ends with a melancholy question from Jesus: Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes to the end of the world? The reason for this doubt was that many false prophets would arise to deceive the people, and because iniquity would abound, the love of many would grow cold, and many would fall away from the faith. Many only outwardly fulfill their religious duties, but their trust and love for God have grown cold. In his wisdom, Jesus knew well how a person who completely neglected his duties towards the Creator would lose faith and, finally, his wealth and social career. This is precisely the question posed by Jesus: Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes to the end of the world? The prediction is also accurate: Many are called, but few are chosen. Election depends on the fulfillment of the conditions in the Law, and the one who does not love the Lord does not want to be elected, while his mindset is similar to the mentality of the Sadducees and Pharisees.