As I read today’s gospel from St. Luke and thought about this reflection, I was struck by the question that Jesus asks in the last sentence of this gospel. The Catholic Church is celebrating a Year of Faith. The Year of Faith was called for by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The Year of Faith is a worldwide celebration, and we are now about a month into its observance. In this Year of Faith we are striving to strengthen and deepen our faith. We want others to see us as people of faith who practice that faith and are willing and able to defend our faith. And so at this time the question of Jesus seems very pertinent. He is asking if there will be faith on this earth when he comes at the end of the world. We can’t see the future and so are unable to answer the Lord’s question. What we can do is to make sure that faith is present among us in our time and that we pass it on to our children and grandchildren. If succeeding generations can continue to do that then the answer to the question of the Lord will be yes. There are many challenges to faith in today’s world. Many Catholics pay lip service to being Catholic but do not really practice their faith. Other Catholics find the practice of their faith difficult because of the challenges and struggles in their lives. The Pope is concerned about these problems And so he has called for all Catholics throughout the world to join in this year long observance in order to renew our faith. One of the means of renewing our faith is through the strengthening of our contact with the Lord. We do this through prayer. And prayer is the subject of today’s gospel. In his parable Jesus calls upon us to be like the widow who persisted in her demand for a just decision. He wants us to be persistent in prayer and never grow weary of asking Jesus for what we need, just as the widow never tired of asking the dishonest judge for a decision. Perseverance in prayer is not always easy, but it will be rewarded. Jesus is listening to us. We know that through faith. |
