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| “Saint Josaphat” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
Reading 1: 3 John
5-8
Beloved, you are faithful in
all you do for the brothers and sisters,
especially for strangers;
they have testified to your
love before the Church.
Please help them in a way
worthy of God to continue their journey.
For they have set out for the
sake of the Name
and are accepting nothing
from the pagans.
Therefore, we ought to
support such persons,
so that we may be co-workers
in the truth.
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Commentary on 3 Jn 5-8
St. John is reaching out to Gaius
in this short pastoral letter. This passage grasps the central message of the
entire letter. In it, we hear the evangelist exhorting his brother to continue
to lend material support to early Christian missionaries as they go among the
Gentiles spreading the Good News. (“For they have set out for the sake of
the Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans.”) The use of “the Name”
is a clear reference to the reverence owed to Christ (see also Philippians 2:9).
CCC: 3 Jn 7 432
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the
LORD,
who greatly delights in his
commands.
His posterity shall be mighty
upon the earth;
the upright generation shall
be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in
his house;
his generosity shall endure
forever.
Light shines through the
darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful
and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is
gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with
justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in
everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
In this section
of Psalm 112, the virtues of faithfully following God’s commandments are
extolled. This hymn of David exalts the person who follows the Law of God. A
number of actions associated with this faithfulness are presented, including
acts of generosity, mercy, charity, and honesty. The virtues of faithfully
following God’s commandments are praised, and the one who follows the Lord will
be upheld by God “in everlasting remembrance.”
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Gospel: Luke
18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a
parable
about the necessity for them
to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge
in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected
any human being.
And a widow in that town used
to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for
me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was
unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I
neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps
bothering me
I shall deliver a just
decision for her
lest she finally come and
strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention
to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the
rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and
night?
Will he be slow to answer
them?
I tell you, he will see to it
that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man
comes, will he find faith on earth?”
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Commentary on Lk 18:1-8
This is the first of two parables
on the need for prayer found in St. Luke’s Gospel. In this selection, the Lord
tells the disciples of the need for persistent prayer so they do not fall
victim to apostasy. He assures them that God, the Just Judge, will listen to
their prayers, and come speedily to their aid in times of need.
“As the widow pleaded for
justice, so we should persevere in faith and tirelessly petition God for our
needs (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)” In
v.6, “His [the unrighteous judge’s] indifference to the widow’s distress was a
violation of justice (Deuteronomy 27:19).
The parable’s outcome is thus a mere shadow of God’s concern for us.
If an unjust and callous judge will vindicate a persevering widow, the
Father will much more come to the aid of his prayerful children (Sirach 35:12-17).”[4]
The question at the end of the
Parable (“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”)
completes a thought in Luke 17:37, which relates the
relationship of the faithful to God at the final judgment.
CCC: Lk 18:1-8 2573, 2613; Lk 18:1 2098; Lk 18:8 675
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Reflection:
The parable from St. Luke’s
Gospel on the need for the disciples to pray constantly has a sort of “folksy”
ring to it. It demonstrates a
relationship to God that is, at once, very personal, and at the same time,
respectful. The dishonest judge would
have rendered a judgment in favor of the widow had she been able to bribe
him. As the story goes, he renders that
judgment because of her persistence.
Jesus uses this story as a contrast rather than an example of the effect
our constant prayers have on the “Just
Judge.” The dishonest judge
intentionally delayed in rendering judgment.
Jesus tells the disciples that the Father will act quickly to answer the
prayers of his children.
We think the analogy of the
mother of an adolescent child probably shows us the relationship Jesus has in
mind. The youngster sees things in black
and white terms, and feels that fairness is their right. So, when they have what they perceive is a
“need,” they go quickly to their mother. The child wants/expects their request
to be acted upon quickly; it is after all a dire need. At that age all needs are dire. The mother, in her wisdom sees the bigger
picture, and understands that, perhaps, the excruciating need their child has
expressed for, say, an iPhone, might not be quite as life-changing as other
needs. Yet when that same child is truly
in need of help, their mother will move heaven and earth, at the speed of light
if she can, to see the child is protected from harm or gets a deserved reward.
God sees and hears our
prayers in the same way. Some prayers
God sees as beyond the scope of his direct involvement, others he sees as
unrealistic or absurd. Still other
prayers he sees already answered, although we may not see or understand how
that is possible. An example of that
“already answered prayer” is the dying person’s prayer: “Please don’t let me
die.” God has already answered that
prayer, but not in the way the person requests. God has opened the door to
eternal life. All that is necessary is for
the person leaving this life to accept God’s offer.
Without getting into a deep
discussion about death and life, there is a quote from Spi Salvi we can offer here. “Saint
Ambrose, one of the Church Fathers, in the funeral discourse for his deceased
brother Satyrus: “Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God
did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human
life, because of sin ... began to experience the burden of wretchedness in
unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow. There had to be a limit to its evils;
death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace,
immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.”[5]
The clear message from St.
Luke’s Gospel is that we must pray constantly.
We express our needs to the Father in confidence, knowing that he hears
us and will answer (although the answer may be “no”). Today we offer a prayer for more prayer. Through God’s grace he hears us, and in his
mercy he gives us life in abundance.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Saint Josaphat” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp.
140
[5]
SPI SALVI, 10., De
excessu fratris sui Satyri, II, 47: CSEL 73, 274.
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