Scripture Reflection - October 19, 2025

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Exodus 17:8-13

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

“Will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night?" Luke 18:7

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us with the parable of the persistent widow – a woman with no power, no social standing, and no advocate – a woman who demands justice from an unjust judge.  She confronts the judge, a man who neither fears God nor respects people, and repeatedly demands justice. Her perseverance finally makes the judge do what is just, not out of righteousness, but in fear that she would express her frustration through violence and make a fool of him in public.

Jesus uses this parable to teach us about the power of persistent prayer and the importance of trusting in God’s justice, even when it seems delayed. If even the unjust judge eventually responds to persistence, how much more will our loving and just God respond to the cries of His people? This passage does not suggest that God is like the unjust judge, reluctantly giving in to our persistent pleading. On the contrary, Jesus reminds us that God hears the cries of His chosen ones who “cry to him day and night” Luke 18:7.  The deeper question is: Do we trust that God will respond to our prayers, even when we do not see immediate results? 

Jesus ends the parable with a probing challenge: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:8. This question shifts the focus. This parable is not only about God answering our prayers, but it is also about our response to silence, waiting, and struggle. Do we grow weary, give up, or turn away when we don’t get an immediate answer?  Or do we, like the widow, continue to return, continue to trust, and continue to believe in God’s justice?

In a world where injustice seems to prevail and God’s response seems delayed, today’s Gospel encourages us to pray with perseverance, to seek justice with courage, and to live with unwavering faith, even in the face of adversity. Our prayers may not always be answered in the way or time we expect, but Jesus assures us that God is not indifferent.  God is just, God is listening, and God will act. 

Today, we are invited to pray like the widow in the Gospel account, that is, to pray with faith, a faith that enables us to keep returning, pleading, and trusting until God’s justice is fully revealed.  

Sr. Mary T Flood, OP