When I first read this gospel passage, I didn’t know what to make of it. Who am I here, the woman or the judge? What is the lesson about bothering the judge? And the judge, being outspoken in their fearlessness, both of God and humanity – who is that for?
As I sit with the passage and navigate the constant distractions my own life brings me, I reflect more on the woman seeking justice. They are persistent with their expectation of attention, though they do not have the power to demand it. The judge ignores them, avoids them, but finally acquiesces. The woman’s consistent presence eventually sways the actions of the judge, who lets them into their world and acts with them in mind. Is the woman a representation of my conscience?
God too reaches out to us all, expecting attention even if not outright demanding it. An ever-present whisper to reflect on, a pause before an action, or a feeling to decipher on living one’s life. Too often do I identify with the judge, thinking that I know it all, trying to ignore and avoid that irksome voice from God, inviting me to a truer sense of my purpose. I do not want to have the fears of doubt on whether I am being my best self, asking myself if I am living my truest self - the self that was imagined by God. But God continues to show up, inviting us to look again and to have them be a part of our lives.