Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 496
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.
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.
Alleluia
See 2 Thessalonians 2:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel,
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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?”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Praying for the Will of God
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.” Luke 18:6–8
It’s interesting that Jesus uses the example of a dishonest judge to illustrate the importance of praying to God, calling out to Him day and night for justice. As the parable goes, this judge cared little about a widow in his town who continually came to him asking for a just decision. He felt as though she was continually bothering him. Because she was so persistent, the judge thought to himself, “…because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.” Jesus’ conclusion from this parable is quoted above.
The simple lesson we ought to learn from this parable is that we must be persistent in prayer. God will always answer our prayers, seeing to it that “justice is done” speedily. But many people have prayed and prayed and prayed for some situation, prayed even for justice, and it appeared that God did not answer their prayer. Thus, some may question the promise of Jesus that persistent prayer will always be answered and justice always be rendered.
If this is your experience, it is essential that you remind yourself of two things. First, Jesus’ words are true. When we persevere in prayer and trust in God, He hears us and answers. This is our Lord’s unwavering promise. But secondly, the “justice” that God delivers may often be different than the justice we expect. It may be that we want someone to pay for a wrong they did to us, but after praying fervently, our expectation is not met by our Lord. For this reason, it is essential that we know that God answers every prayer we pray, but in accord with His perfect will and wisdom. Therefore, God’s view of justice at times may be very different than ours. At times, His justice is satisfied by His invitation to us to show mercy in abundance. True mercy always satisfies justice.
Take, for example, the case of someone speaking in a rude manner to you. If you offer that situation to our Lord, He will enter in and provide His grace for you to deal with it in accord with His will. Perhaps He will soften the other person’s heart so that they apologize, or perhaps, if they don’t apologize and their heart is not softened, then God’s answer to your prayer will be to give you the grace of humility so that you can love that person despite their unrepentance. Regardless of the way our Lord intervenes, the fact remains that He will intervene and enable you to fulfill His perfect will. If, however, your prayer is that the person be held accountable and condemned, then you are trying to tell God what to do, and He will not accede to your request. All of our prayer must ultimately be for the fulfillment of God’s perfect will in accord with His wisdom.
Reflect, today, upon how completely you trust in God. Do you know, with certainty, that He will answer every prayer that you fervently pray with faith in accord with His divine will? Believing this is freeing and enables you to live more fully in union with Him. If there is some issue with which you struggle right now, even some apparent injustice, then entrust it to our Lord, day and night without ceasing, and know that His grace will guide you as He answers you in accord with His will.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
“FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET”
“Will He delay long over them, do you suppose? I tell you, He will give them swift justice.” —Luke 18:7-8
God’s timing is different than ours. “This point must not be overlooked, dear friends. In the Lord’s eyes, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day” (2 Pt 3:8). This means that God is both very slow and very fast by our standards (see 2 Pt 3:9). We often emphasize God’s supposed slowness. Yet we should also focus on His speed. God sometimes works “in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor 15:52). God promises to give us “swift justice” (Lk 18:8).
However, the Lord will not force His justice or His swiftness on us. We must pray always and not lose heart (Lk 18:1). Otherwise, we will cause the Lord to delay (Lk 18:7) in stopping the gross injustices of abortion, racism, “ethnic cleansings,” starvation, and other catastrophic evils.
To pray always and receive God’s swift justice, we must have faith. “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Faith is a gift which the Lord freely gives. Once again, we must pray to receive faith (Lk 17:5), exercise the faith we have, and nourish our faith through hearing God’s Word, for faith comes through hearing, and hearing by God’s Word (Rm 10:17).
Grow in faith; pray always; receive swift justice in a severely unjust world. “The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet” (Rm 16:20). Come Jesus — swiftly!
Prayer: Father, I will hasten Your Son’s final coming (2 Pt 3:12) by my holiness and obedience.
Promise: “Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; he shall never be moved.” —Ps 112:5-6
Praise: Though living two very different vocations, one as a mother of eight children and the other as a Benedictine nun, Sts. Margaret and Gertrude both laid down their lives for Love.
Reflection 3
Shared from Daily Liturgy
Through the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus emphasizes persistent prayer and endurance. This parable is an encouragement and assurance that our prayer will be heard and justice will be done. He says never to lose heart because God is a loving Father and he will do justice to His chosen ones. Saint John exhorts us to be faithful in whatever we do for the growth of the Church and the propagation of the faith. He encourages Gaius’ missionary zeal and requests him to promote love for the mission. The words of encouragement and support have great impact on the life of missionaries. The leaders of faith are to be real guides to those who work for the spread of the faith and growth of the Church.
Prayers
My all-wise Lord, Your will is perfect in all things, and You always bestow Your grace upon me when I pray without ceasing. Please give me a trusting Heart, dear Lord, so that I will never waver in my hope that You will always answer my prayers in accord with Your will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, increase my faith and make it strong that I may never doubt your word and promise to be with me always. In every situation I face - whether trials, setbacks, or loss - may I always find strength in your unfailing love and find joy and contentment in having you alone as the treasure of my heart.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 320: A Zealous Heart
One of the easiest things you can do in life is be lazy. Imagine if you had no responsibilities, had all the wealth you could ever want and could spend your days in luxury and relaxation. This would foster a very lazy heart and it would also foster a very sad heart. Rest is good, but excessive rest can turn into laziness and laziness ultimately becomes very boring. This fact reveals the opposite truth also. Namely, a zealous heart is one that finds great excitement in the activities of the day. Though some may become obsessed with work, becoming a “workaholic,” an appropriate balance of rest and work produces the virtue of a zealous heart. Are you zealous? There are many things one can be zealous about in life, and not all of them good or within the Will of God. But zeal for the salvation of souls, and the bringing forth of the Kingdom of God is a zeal we must all strive to foster. In fact, our Lord wants you to have this as the highest priority in life. As you grow in holiness and closeness to our Lord, He will send you forth cultivating the Earth with His Mercy. Doing this with great zeal wins many souls for the Kingdom and produces abundant joy in your heart (See Diary #1548).
Do you struggle with a lazy heart or a zealous one? If lazy, look at the effects of this in your life. The boredom and dissatisfaction you experience is a direct result. If, however, you are zealous and diligent in life, what is it you are zealous for? Reflect upon this honestly today and seek to grow in a burning zeal for the building up of the Kingdom of God.
Lord, I offer to You all my work and my talents. Use them for Your glory. Help me to have true zeal for Your Kingdom and to work tirelessly for Your glory. Jesus, I desire to be an instrument of Your perfect Mercy in the world. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.
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