The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that persistence and prayer are sometimes the Way to bring peace to the situations that have called us to act.
The Reading from the Third Letter of John cites support of Gaius who is faithful in all he does.
* [5] You are faithful in all you do: Gaius’s aid to the missionaries is a manifestation of his true Christian faith.
* [6] Help them…to continue their journey: the Presbyter asks Gaius not only to continue to welcome the missionaries to his community but also to equip them for further travels.
* [7] The Name: of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 5:41; 1 Jn 2:12; 3:23; 5:13). Accepting nothing: not expecting support from the pagans to whom they preach the gospel, so that they will not be considered as beggars; they required support from other Christians; cf. Paul’s complaints to the Corinthians (1 Cor 9:3–12). (3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God.
* [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.
* [112:3] Righteousness: in the Second Temple period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving, cf. Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1–4. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke presents the Parable of the Persistent Widow.
* [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). The second (Lk 18:9–14) condemns the self-righteous, critical attitude of the Pharisee and teaches that the fundamental attitude of the Christian disciple must be the recognition of sinfulness and complete dependence on God’s graciousness. The second parable recalls the story of the pardoning of the sinful woman (Lk 7:36–50) where a similar contrast is presented between the critical attitude of the Pharisee Simon and the love shown by the pardoned sinner.
* [18:5] Strike me: the Greek verb translated as strike means “to strike under the eye” and suggests the extreme situation to which the persistence of the widow might lead. It may, however, be used here in the much weaker sense of “to wear one out.” (Luke, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that many of us want to know what process steps need to be followed to influence whether our God will deal with us justly and in a timely way.
- I know I do! Yet Jesus calls us to pray without ceasing; Jesus assures us here that God will see to it that justice is done for (his chosen) speedily. But then he closes the reading with a provocation: when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? I see this last statement as our challenge: Jesus reminds us that it is only our faith that will save us. I can (and do) try to ‘follow the process steps’ - that is, I try to be a good person, to do good things for others, to live out good intentions, to pray regularly (although well short of unceasingly). Jesus reminds his disciples and you and me that our faith is the thing. Our faith allows us to know and trust that God is with us now and forever. That’s the good news I took from the reading today, and pray that it is the good news that will sustain all of us, and make us new in the Kingdom. Amen. (Grassmeyer, 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.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. The Author of 3 John had sent enjoys to the community to contribute to their need. He expresses concern about false doctrine. He wants Christians to supply the needs of the envoys. The proclamation to be persistent in prayer is the message in the Gospel of Luke. The widow nags the judge until he gives in. Luke is not comparing the Father to an evil judge. The message is to be persistent. Friar Jude declares we should storm the gates with chutzpah. God wants us to be persistent and in doing so we are treating God as real and when we push a bit we stand behind what we say is needed.
The Word Among Us Meditation on 3 John 5-8 comments that every person is on a journey home to union with God, and that means we can all offer hospitality to one another.
So how is the Lord leading you to show hospitality today? Is there a person or family who needs to experience the warmth and welcome of his love through you? Are there people in your parish whose work for the Lord you can affirm and support by inviting them to your home for dinner or coffee? Even if you don’t know them well, you might be surprised to find that someone who was once a stranger has become a brother or sister in Christ.
“Jesus, help me to welcome someone into my life today.” (Meditation on 3 John 5-8, 2026)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Buddhist teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo who reminds us that it is by returning to ourselves that we can participate in the healing of the world.
My dog was in the back seat, enjoying the window down, looking at the world. A mom was in the car next to me with a little girl in the back seat, maybe four or five years old. The mom asked me—just with a gesture—to let her in my lane. I agreed with a nod. Then her little girl saw my dog and smiled. A real smile at the dog, then at me. I smiled back.
We were simply present to one another.
It was magical. It was healing.
That smile was spontaneous. It came from presence, and presence comes from reclaiming our attention, from showing up for the small, ordinary moments.
That small exchange revealed something important about what is ours to do:
To take refuge in ourselves. To heal and transform. To see things clearly.
To live ethically—not out of shame, but out of love.
To build community. To reconcile as best we can.
To be a manifestation of the planet healing itself.
To be fresh. Solid. Calm. Free. (Rohr, n.d.)
We invoke the Spirit to empower us with persistence in our vocation and consolation in our prayer as we work to be agents of peace for the people we encounter daily.
References
Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-14-2026
Luke, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/18?
Meditation on 3 John 5-8. (2026, November 14). The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/11/14/1713647/
Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). What Is Mine to Do?: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/what-is-mine-to-do-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
3 John, THE THIRD LETTER OF JOHN | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/3john/1?
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