Gospel Lectio Divinia for Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 16, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
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?"
MEDITATE
There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
When someone has power, they are often tempted to consider themselves above those over whom they have power. The man in this parable does not care about any human being’s preferences, or even about God’s. He thinks he is above those he actually serves. This common misconception among authorities, in ancient society and in our own, has led to widespread corruption and misuse of power. Ever since there have been judges, kings, or any kind of ruler, there have been those in these positions of power who believe they can disregard the very rules that made them rulers. There’s an old expression, “laws are for the lawless,” but it often seems like those who are supposed to implement the laws are the ones who fail to practice them the most. It’s because they think the laws do not apply to them. They believe that, since they understand the law so well and have been put in a position to implement it how and when they see fit, they are therefore most eligible to determine when the law does not have to be implemented. They think it is up to them to decide who can be exempt.
All of this is to say that the law means nothing if it is not above the ones entrusted to enforce it. No one is above the law. Now, this judge in the parable did not fear God and did not respect people. The question is, did he at least respect the law he was entrusted to enforce and interpret? It’s an interesting question, because one does not have to respect people or fear God in order to respect the law. Such a person would then be following the law for the wrong reasons, but he could still follow the law. He could be legalistic without being friendly or religious. I suspect that this is exactly the kind of judge we have in this parable. Thus we have two extremes when it comes to authorities. We have those who think they are above the law and think they don’t need to observe it themselves, and we have those who observe and implement the law with scrupulosity; but by not having compassion or fear of God they miss the main reasons for having laws in the first place.
Many of us have been raised to think the law is there to curtail our freedom and make life more difficult. Living in the land of the free, that’s just how Americans often think. But for an ancient Jew, the law was a gift from God given to bring order out of chaos. Unfortunately, by Jesus’ time, many Jews had become so obsessed with the law God gave them that they lost the heart of it and followed only the letter. Jesus therefore had to bring them back to the heart and true purpose of the law–fear of God and love of neighbor.
because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me
The judge’s reasons for acting justly are selfish, but he still acts justly. This goes to show that we can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. It’s almost as if God designed the universe in such a way that, even if the world is full of selfish people, eventually justice will be served because even selfish people will eventually see how justice serves their interest.
What is good and right is good and right for many reasons, from many angles and perspectives. Let’s take another scenario to demonstrate this. An avaricious businessman may choose to support a virtuous campaign if the campaigners give him money. Just because he has the wrong motivations doesn’t mean the campaigners should simply look elsewhere. The businessman may have all of the right tools and avenues to promote the virtuous campaign, more so than the campaigners can on their own. If money is his motivation, it is not unjust to give him money to promote a good cause.
Here’s another scenario similar to the one the judge in this parable is in. A criminal may want to rob a bank, but may be deterred by the security guards guarding it. If fear of getting caught is what deters him from doing the wrong thing, then that fear is serving justice’s purposes even though the potential robber is not acting justly himself.
In all of these instances, those who want what is right–the widow, the campaigners, and the guards–are using the selfish person’s own selfishness to compel them to do the right thing. The businessman wants more money, the robber doesn’t want to get caught, and the judge doesn’t want the widow to strike him. If the desire for self-preservation is what gets someone to do the right thing, they themselves may not be acting justly but at least justice was served. Justice can be implemented in many ways, and sometimes the best ways are overlooked.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?
For a moment this parable does not make sense. It seems like Jesus is saying that God acts like this dishonest judge, because right after telling the parable he starts talking about how God acts. Does he secure their rights of his chosen ones simply because they keep bothering him, then? No, he does not answer our prayers simply because we are persistent in them. After all, they have to also be according to his will in order for him to answer them. But think of it like this: A child may say he wants to be an astronaut. The parent says, “Are you sure? You’re young. Your dreams may change as you get older.” Years pass, and the now young man says, “I still want to be an astronaut, as I’ve been telling you all these years.” Then the parent helps pay for his studies to become one. In our stubbornness, we often just don’t get our prayers right. We ask for things we don’t really want. God wants us to be sure we really want it before he grants it. So that’s something to think about. If God isn’t answering my prayers, maybe it’s because I don’t want them granted badly enough.
Now, this is all said with the stipulation that God is a good and honest judge, not a dishonest one like the one in the parable. Jesus’ point is that even a dishonest judge who doesn’t care about his constituents will grant what they ask if they are persistent in prayer. How much more so, then, will God answer our prayers when we are persistent?
PRAY
Dear Lord,
In doing this lectio divina, I’ve learned that I need to be more persistent in my prayers–not because you are an unjust and dishonest judge–but because you are just and honest. You want me to be honest with myself. Do I really want what I am asking for? Is what I’m asking for really what is best? You gently advise me to take the time to meditate on these questions. Only then will I find your will. I find your will when I draw close to you and learn more about who you are. Thank you for bringing me closer to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
LISTEN
It’s amazing what we can learn when we take the time to read Scripture more closely. This is why the Rosary is so powerful. It gives us the tools we need to focus on the story of salvation, to hone in on the mysteries, to listen as we persistently pray. In this month of the Rosary, let’s try to be more persistent in our prayer through the heavenly prayer that Our Lady gave us.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
