The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to prayer and contemplation as we seek direction from the Holy Spirit to persevere in faithfulness.
The reading from the Third Letter of John urges support for co workers with the Truth.
* [3] The brothers: in this letter, the term may refer to Christians who have been missionaries and received hospitality from Gaius (3 Jn 5–6). Walk in the truth: the common Johannine term to describe Christian living; this description presents Gaius as following the teachings of the Presbyter in contrast to Diotrephes. (3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN, n.d.)
Psalm 112 declares the blessings of the Righteous.
* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge.
* [18:1–14] The particularly Lucan material in the travel narrative concludes with two parables on prayer. The first (Lk 18:1–8) teaches the disciples the need of persistent prayer so that they not fall victims to apostasy (Lk 18:8). (Luke, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that the faithful are active in their faith. They serve others, especially strangers. The faithful testify to their love of God before the Church. They delight in the commands of the Lord. They are generous, merciful, and just. They pray constantly. And most importantly, they support others who are faithful as co-workers in the truth.
Well, that is a lot of work Faithfulness has us in church every Sunday professing our faith in the company of others. It has us serving on the committees in the church that serve others. It has us giving generously to support the work of the Lord through others. Faithfulness has us studying the word of God. It has us doing a lot of praying. It has us working toward justice on this earth. And faithfulness has us standing by each other supporting each other in our faith journeys. All of this is just a lot of work for those who are not called through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. They have not yet learned that for the faithful, it is a privilege and a joy for our faithfulness to be a light that shines through the darkness. I pray today that we will all experience our faithfulness as blessedness and that we will all be a light in the darkness for someone. (Dilly, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Persistent prayer transforms iniquity and wickedness into mercy,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).
"How was that unjust judge immoral and wicked? How was the upright judge gracious and just? The first in his iniquity was not willing to vindicate the widow, and in his wickedness, he was not willing to put her mind at rest. The justice of God knows how to vindicate, and his grace discerns how to give life. The iniquity of this wicked judge was contrary to the justice of God, and the wickedness of this rebel was in opposition to the grace of the gentle One. His wickedness therefore was stubbornness, for it dared to go against the fear of God. His boldness was stubborn, for it refused the lowly person."
"These two were stubborn, but persistent prayer was even more stubborn. The persistence of the widow humiliated both the iniquity that was rebelling against God and the boldness that was behaving arrogantly towards human beings. She subjected them to her will, so that they might provide her with a vindication over her adversary. Persistence transformed these two bitter branches, and they bore sweet fruit that was against their nature. The iniquity of the judge brought about a righteous judgment and a just retribution for the falsely accused woman. His wickedness gave peace to the afflicted one, although iniquity does not know how to judge, and wickedness does not know how to give refreshment. Persistence forced these two evil and bitter branches to give good fruit against their nature. If we persist in prayer, we should be even more able to prevail on the grace and justice of God to give us fruit that agrees with their nature. Let justice vindicate us, and let grace refresh us. Accordingly, the fruit of justice is the just reward of the oppressed, while the giving of refreshment to the afflicted is the fruit of grace." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 16.16.6) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 18:1-8 comments that Jesus wants us to have the same kind of stubbornness when it comes to praying for our needs and the needs of the people around us. This doesn’t have to be especially dramatic either. It can be as simple as praying for a different intention before every meal. We can also pray while brushing our teeth, waiting for our morning coffee to brew, or standing in line at the grocery store. We could even add intercession to our morning commute or our daily exercise. The point is to be consistent and persistent. In the end, we will prevail. Remember, God is so much kinder than that unjust judge!
So keep knocking on his door. Keep bringing your needs to him. Then watch as he changes people’s lives—and your heart in the process.
“Here I am, Lord. Once again I bring my needs to you. O Lord, hear and answer!” (Meditation on Luke 18:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the instruction in 3 John to treat missionaries with respect. The parable of the widow and the judge recommends chutzpah in our prayer as modelled in the Hebrew Testament and the Psalms. Friar Jude reminds us to voice our needs to God who give us what we truly need.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter to the Nobel Committee in 1967 about Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hahn (1926–2022) who helped bring Buddhism and mindfulness to the West. “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” Thich Nhat Hahn gives instructions for a meditation to dwell in the present moment.
We can recite these four lines silently as we breathe in and out:
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment!
“Breathing in, I calm my body.” Reciting this line is like drinking a glass of cool lemonade on a hot day—you can feel the coolness permeate your body. . . .
“Breathing out, I smile.” You know a smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your
face. . . .
“Dwelling in the present moment.” While I sit here, I don’t think of anything else. I sit here, and I know exactly where I am.
“I know this is a wonderful moment.” It is a joy to sit, stable and at ease, and return to our breathing, our smiling, our true nature. Our appointment with life is in the present moment. (Rohr, 2022)
We invite the opportunities in our day to pause, breath and pray as we continue to follow the Spirit as workers in the vineyard of Christ.
References
Dilly, B. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111222.html
Luke, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/18?1
Meditation on Luke 18:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/11/12/532036/
Psalms, PSALM 112. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1
Rohr, R. (2022, November 12). Interfaith Friendships: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/interfaith-friendships-weekly-summary-2022-11-12/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=nov12
3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/3john/1?5
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