Saturday of 32nd year, odd numbered year
“Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.”
Jesus is underlining here how important it is to pray and to perervere in the prayer that is asked of us. If the widow of the gospel knows how to come and bother the only judge, to the point of making him change his mind, how much more our prayer will find in God a favourable and just welcome. Jesus promises us that tenacious prayer will always be satisfied. The more our life is in peril, the more we need to be persistent in prayer with our requests : it is not the moment to give in. It is always the moment for us to be vigilant with God in our combat for life, for He is always at work. God transforms the world and he he make sit progress ahead and we don’t reealise this : ’ An,d so, from the highest heavens coming from your royal Throne, Lord, your all-powerful Word melts right in th country in distress.“God wants us to remain vigilant in prayer so that we remain in harmony with Him. In this big passage of humanity towards life, we know how patient God is, that he wants to save us at all price.”’There was a judge in a certain town’, he said ’who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying ’ I want justice from you for my enemy!’ For a long time, he refused, but at last he said to himself ’Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for men I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me."
We are unable to get rid of this impression of being powerless when faced with our requests. We need to resign ourselves to not knowing how to pray, and we ned to keep our heart poor, in a state of prayer, to know how to recognise Jesus who raises us up. If we know how to keep a humble and poor heart, Jesus will know how to welcome our wishes. The poor of heart knows that, if he can formulate some requests, hsi Heavenly father has his gaze turned towards himl, and to all his children, with a Loving deseign much more beautiful and much greater than he or they are. So the poor person who is poor of heart presents tirelessly his requests , but he recognises that more than himself, the Lord desires the good of all brothers in mankind. Thus, whilst praying , he totally trusts our Heavenly Father, once having made his requests.
With all his heart he says the prayer we proclaimed at the beginning of the Eucharist : ’Make us always want what you want and serve your glory with an undivided heart.“”… now, will God not see justice done to his elect?. I promise you, he will see justice done to them,and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?"
Being poor in heart has us recognise our lacks and our needs and the capacity- Jesus has to fill these lacks and needs. The widow knows that the judge is the only one to give her justivce and, likewise ,we recognise that we fundamentally depend upon God in our lives, He is its origin and its end. To pray, like to love, is an opening of oneself and a gift for self to receieve anotehr person and another who depends on him. It si the opening up of oneself and the gift of ourselves in this attitude of prayer and expectation. Our expectation and our cries thrown at God, the rock of our expectation they are Jesus’ promises an d the Presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, Prnce ofPeace, is the conqueror of all our distress in his Passion and Resurrection, His Word enlightens us ceaselessly and it gives us his peace. We announce at every Eucharist the alvation of Jesus who comes for us now and who saves us. It is a question of Salvation of humanbity that is deeply remodelled in the New Adam. Jesus is given to us, and the New Eve, also, Mary whose life is transfrigured.