I was a brat when I was a kid. No doubt about it. Just ask anyone who knew me back then. My issue? If I wanted something , I would not give in…ever. As an example…when I was maybe 6 or 8 years old I would love to go to the grocery store with my Mother. Not because I wanted desperately to help her shop. No. Not even close. You see then, as now, I loved cereal. I was a cereal connoisseur. Krispies or Corn Flakes for me? Nope. My sights were set on Franken berry, Count Chocula, Quisp, Quake. Concentrate (this is a bit of an obscure one. I think it was regional to New Jersey). So, the reason I wanted to go to the store with my Mother was to be sure she got the “right” cereal. And it was not only the type of cereal that was important. It was also what was in the box. TOYS!! It was about what toys the cereal companies put in the box to entice young minds and drive young Mothers crazy. When I got lost once in a grocery store, and the store manager announced me on the store intercom, my Aunt told my Mother to leave me with the manager until they were ready to leave.
Next came wanting a puppy. My older brother crawled around on all fours for weeks to convince my parents that he was crazy and would not return to normal boyhood until they got him the dog. Me? I just whined and carried on begging. We were like thunder and lightening, my brother and I, in our approach. We finally cracked the nut and they got us a Collie puppy…”Tammy”. My brother then returned to bipedal locomotion.
Oh yeah. Motorcycles. I wanted a mini bike. And there was no way I was going to be denied. I put the whining and carrying on into overdrive. Talking about motorcycles. Showing pictures of motorcycles. Giving my Father all the reasons why motorcycles would be perfect for me. I don’t think he bought the logic of better gas mileage than a car since I was only in 7th grade and a driver’s license was still far into the future. But I won out. A brand new 1972 Yamaha AT 125 was my reward.
Of course, I didn’t always win. In 8th grade representatives of Fordham High School in New York City came to my school to promote the school. I was sold. I was sure going away to high school in the Bronx, New York would be my path. My parents just HAD to let me go. This time, all the pleading in the world was to no avail. I stayed local.
Now we look at the widow in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. This woman could easily have been my mentor. She had a conflict with a rival. I assume another widow battling each other for some monetary gain, since widows did not hold much financial standing in Biblical times. Her tactic was to wear down the judge by coming to him on a daily basis pleading for a favorable decision. She was apparently very effective since the judge actually feared that this lowly widow would beat the snot out of him. She was granted the verdict that she sought.
There is no mystery here in terms of what Jesus’ message was through this parable. Persistence. Persistence in prayer. To not give up asking of God what we need. If an unjust judge is swayed by persistence, how much more would the God of love be willing to grant to His children? And the goal is not to wear down God as the widow did with the judge. No, He is a good God who knows what things are good for His people, His children, without needing to be physically worn down. He merely responds out of love for us.
In the first reading from Wisdom, the writer (Solomon most believe) recounts the story from Exodus. Of God freeing His people through the use of 10 plagues. Especially the last one. The killing of Egypt’s First Born. The gift that God gave His people was what they had been pleading for for centuries. Freedom. Freedom from slavery in Egypt. And God knew what was good for them. Even when they complained about food, water, and lack of gods to worship while out in the desert, God still knew that their freedom would lead to God using them to spread the word about the one true God to the world.
During the Passover Seder meal, which recounts to Exodus from Egypt, there is a line that refers to the struggles that the Israelites faced and God’s response:
“And He saw our affliction….and God knew.“ (Exodus 2:25)
God knew. He knew then and He knows now. What we need. And He wants to give it to us. But we have to ask. Ask persistently. Why? Why not just give us what we want or need once we ask. Because we must be worthy. And how do we show out worthiness? We pray. But we pray with persistence. Because by doing so, we demonstrate our faith. Or maybe by doing so we grow in our faith. Faith is trust. Trusting in God that He will deliver.
In Genesis we saw that Abraham and Sarah did not trust God. They did not believe God was going to follow through and give them a son. So they took matters into their own hands and Sarah convinced Abraham to lie with Haggar and the result was Ishmael. Who would go on to be the ancestor of the Arab people. And we know how Arabs and Jews feel about each other today. Maybe a little patience back then, and trust in God, could have avoided the conflict we see today.
The last line in today’s Gospel reads:
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Meaning…will He find trust. Will He find people who trust in Him enough to persist. To persist in prayer and in belief.
