12
Nov
Nov
Reflection: Luke 18: 1-8
We have heard the promise Jesus makes in the Gospel: “Will God not do justice to his chosen ones, who cry to him day and night” (cf. Lk 18:7). This is the mystery of prayer: to keep crying out, not to lose heart, keeping our hands raised in asking God to help. This is the model of prayer that Jesus has revealed to us and given us. To pray is to struggle. To live the mission in the full, prayer is an indispensable condition – Prayer. Prayer is the first power of proclamation. Missionaries are above all men and women of prayer, who nourish faith in a constant bond with the Lord. It is also a good opportunity today to ask ourselves: do I pray for the missionaries? Do I pray for those who go far to bring the Word of God with testimony? A widow’s insistent pleading with a dishonest judge succeeds in obtaining justice from him. Jesus says, if the widow succeeded in convincing that judge, do you think that God will not listen to us if we pray to him with insistence? “Crying day and night” to God! This image of prayer is so striking, but let us ask ourselves: Why does God want this? Doesn’t he already know what we need? What does it mean to “insist” with God? This is a good question that makes us examine an important aspect of the faith: God invites us to pray insistently not because he is unaware of our needs. On the contrary, Our constant prayer keeps us aware of a God who walks with us and never leaves us alone. Good friends who walk together do not remain silent, rather they talk. Our prayer is our conversation with the one who walks with us. Therefore, pray always, but not in order to convince the Lord of our desires! He knows our needs better than we do! Indeed persevering prayer is the expression of faith in God who calls us to fight with him in order to conquer evil with good. Explaining the Gospel, Pope Francis says, “let us learn from the widow of the Gospel to pray always without growing weary. This widow was very good! Think of the many women who fight for their families, who pray and never grow weary. Today let us all remember these women who by their attitude provide us with a true witness of faith and courage, and a model of prayer.”