Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 496
Reading 1
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
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel,
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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?”
Méditation
“Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7)
Beloved in the Lord, may God be praised at all times!
Who among us has never experienced the pain of praying to God, asking Him to act, and receiving no apparent answer? Some pray for healing from a serious illness; others hope to find a spouse, decent work, or a way out of a difficult situation. We pray and plead; months and years go by, and God seems not to hear us.
Faced with this apparent silence, we complain and lose heart. Little by little, our faith and commitment to serving God weaken. In the most difficult cases, some even stop praying and drift away from Him.
In the Gospel for this Saturday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time (Luke 18:1–8), Jesus uses the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow to teach us that we must always pray and never lose heart. If an unjust judge finally listens to a widow because she persists, how much more does God, our just and loving Father, hear the cries of His children!
God listens to us even when He seems silent. Yet His timing is not always ours, and His answer may differ from what we expect. Sometimes we must wait; at other times, we must allow God to purify our requests so that they accord with His will. True perseverance means continuing to believe in and love God even when we do not understand His silence.
How many people have given up praying because God did not respond as they expected! Many come to church mainly to find solutions to their problems, without truly seeking a relationship with God. Yet prayer is not merely a way to obtain something from Him; it is first and foremost a relationship of love and trust. Faithfully nurturing that relationship helps us remain open to His grace, even when it comes in a form we did not anticipate.
Beloved, let us not make our faithfulness to God depend on whether our requests are granted. God does not abandon us when our prayers seem unanswered. Instead, let us ask for the grace to persevere, for Jesus ends this parable with a searching question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He still find faith in our hearts?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, You know our suffering, our hopes, and the prayers that seem to go unanswered. Forgive our discouragement and lack of trust. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, increase our faith and perseverance. Teach us to pray without growing weary, to accept Your will, and to remain faithful to Your love even in times of trial. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Intercession
Lord Jesus, we entrust to You all those who, after years of prayer, are tempted to lose hope. Sustain the sick who await healing, families facing hardship, those without work, and all who face seemingly impossible situations. Strengthen their hope and help them recognize Your presence in their struggles. Draw back to Yourself those who have drifted from faith because they believe their prayers were not answered. Lord, increase our faith! Amen.
Spirituel exercise
Today, think of one intention for which you have prayed for a long time without receiving the answer you hoped for. Bring it before the Lord again, not with impatience but with trust, saying: “Lord, I believe You hear me. Let Your will be done, not mine.”
Also resolve to set aside a moment for prayer every day, even when you have nothing particular to ask for.
MY RESOLUTION: I will persevere in prayer and remain faithful to God, even when His answers are delayed or do not match my expectations
André Kamta Sabang
Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ
