Saturday November 17
Introduction
This short excerpt from the Third letter of John recognizes with gratitude that the community leader Gaius showed hospitality and gave help to itinerant preachers of the gospel.
Luke must have had in mind those who pray and think that God does not act when they beg him. There is also an eschatological tone in the words of Jesus, that the delay in the coming of the kingdom should not discourage us. In any case, our prayer should be trustful and insistent.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we know that you are our loving Father,
that you wait for us
and that you are attentive to us
every moment of our lives.
Let then our prayer come to you
as a breath of hope and a cry of trust
coming from the poverty of our hearts.
If you have to turn us down
when we ask for harmful or useless things,
give us what we really need
and keep our trust alive
that you are good and loving
for you love us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reading 1 3 JN 5-8
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 PsalmPS 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
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 LK 18:1-8
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?
Intercessions
– For ministers in the Church, that they may be men and women of prayer mindful of the Lord’s words, “Without me you can do nothing,” we pray:
– For all who seek God, that they may enter into a dialogue with God by praying from the heart how they can live their Christian life, we pray:
– For all Christians, that our prayers for the poor and the suffering may commit them more to bringing them justice, lightening their burdens and restoring their dignity, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
you cannot resist our prayer
if we have full trust in you.
Let the Holy Spirit here among us
prompt us to pray trustingly and insistently.
Let him cry out in our hearts
and call you our Father.
through him who offers himself and us to you,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
with Jesus we have raised our hands
in prayer to you, our living God.
With Jesus we keep trusting in you.
Hear us, then, even in our pains and struggles,
when we are disappointed and grope in the dark.
For we believe that you love us
and want us to find happiness
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We should keep in mind that prayer is not just asking for favors for each of us personally but, aside from praise and thanks to God, an intercession for the good of others, of the community. The more reason why it should be insistent! May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Recently a friend of mine told me about a nun—Sister Joan—who works for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients in a certain country. She had been in this ministry for several decades. She is old and feeble now. Most of her days have been spent in government offices, forcing the officials to release funds and sign documents that served the needs of the leprosy patients. The government officials dread her and go any length to do what she asks for. If not, she would simply refuse to leave. She would sit at the office, for days and weeks, until they granted what she had asked. One of the officials confided to my friend: “These days we immediately grant what Sister Joan asks because we are afraid she might die in our office. She is getting old.”
Sister Joan reminds me of the widow in today’s parable. Persistence pays in heavenly as well as earthly domains. And with God who loves us more than we do ourselves, it produces returns with even greater efficacy. But, will the Son of Man find such persistent faith in you and me?
