Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 16, 2019
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’
“For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
How often do we find ourselves weary in our own prayer lives? I know that I can tire of bartering with God or requesting God’s assistance in various struggles in my life. How many times do I need to petition God? Is my prayer fervent enough? Have I used the right words? Why haven’t my prayers been answered?
Today’s Gospel is very clear about Jesus’ goal in telling this parable to his disciples: the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. But why? Although the widow pesters the judge to make him hear her request, such tactics are not necessary in our relationship with God. Our Lord knows our deepest thoughts and desires before they are ever uttered. Our prayers are answered by our loving God “speedily,” just maybe not “instantly.”
In our fast-paced, on-demand world, we are conditioned to receive information instantly upon request, so we expect to hear God’s answers immediately. Searching for information on Google, streaming films on Netflix, and next-day delivery with Amazon Prime all seem to make “ask and you shall receive” an ever-present reality. We should not be so fooled.
Our persistent prayer does not change God’s mind or inform him of what we want; the desires of our hearts are already known to God. Rather, when we pray, when we confide to God our hopes and ask for help, we prepare our hearts for God’s answer. As we wait for God’s response, the waiting slowly opens us to God’s plan, to see a justice done for us that is not of our own design, but God’s. We seek to live our life not on our own terms, but on God’s.
Let us make a renewed commitment today to our prayer lives so that when the Son of Man comes, he will certainly find a people of faith on this earth!
Prayer
Our Father, have you heard our cries? Have you heard our calls, our small voices, hoarse and tight? You tell us not to lose heart. Wash our hearts with grace so that we may trust your promise, so that our heavy hearts will not be lost in the night. You promise to send your justice, bright and burning. Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth? Give us this faith, O God. Quicken our hearts, spark and winnow our hope into a flame of love that expects your justice, and rejoices when it blossoms. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Margaret's faith was a catalyst not only to her own holiness but that of her family's.
Margaret was born a princess in Hungary around 1046 and, after her father's exile, spent much of her youth in the court of her uncle, the English king, Edward the Confessor, also canonized a saint. During the Norman invasion, Margaret's family fled from William the Conqueror and ended up shipwrecked on the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm of Scotland took them in and was utterly charmed by Margaret. Margaret and Malcolm fell in love and were married in 1070.
Margaret and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters, and Margaret was as excellent a mother as she was a wife. Margaret carefully supervised the education and religious instruction of her children; her youngest son, David, has also become a canonized saint. Margaret's husband Malcolm had a good heart, but was rough and uncultured and was often irritable and domineering. With patient wisdom and iron resolve, Margaret earned his trust as a counselor with her clear advice and practical wisdom. Through her example of rational goodness and kindness, Margaret softened Malcolm's hot temper and guided him in practicing a life of virtue.
Margaret used her position of great influence to promote the arts and more available education in Scotland. Margaret founded several churches with her husband and initiated dialogues with the hierarchy about reforming abuses of power in the Church. It was Margaret's great delight to make the churches she and Malcolm built beautiful, reflecting God's splendor. Margaret often embroidered priests’ vestments for Mass with her own two hands.
From today's Office of Readings, the office quotes the pastoral constitution from the Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, to celebrate Margaret's saintly witness in marriage:
"True married love is caught up into God's love; it is guided and enriched by the redeeming power of Christ and the saving action of the Church, in order that the partners may be effectively led to God."
Despite her many duties in the court and for her family, Margaret was perpetually faithful to prayer. She gave up sleep in order to have time for devotions and she often meditated on the words of Scripture. During Advent and Lent, Margaret would get up in the middle of the night in order to attend Mass at midnight every night. On the walk home, she would stop to care for the poor beggars, washing their feet and giving them money. The destitute sought her out for aid, and Margaret never refused them. Pious legend claims that Margaret never sat down to eat herself without first feeding nine orphans and two dozen beggars.
In 1093, Margaret died at home in Edinburgh upon hearing the news that her husband Malcolm and one of their sons were killed in battle. Some of Margaret's relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus. Our featured image of St. Margaret of Scotland was created by Matthew Alderman, a 2006 graduate of the School of Architecture.
St. Margaret of Scotland, who helped your husband grow in virtue and taught your children to be saints—pray for us!
Image Credit: Image by Notre Dame alumnus Matthew Alderman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of his art. Used here with permission.