Mind The Gap

A Reflection on the Gospel for October 20th, 2019:
​Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

​Luke 18.1-8

Jesus told the disciples 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 any human being. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’

“For a while the judge refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for any human being, 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. 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, God will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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Jesus’ question “Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” reminds me of Luke 11:11-13, where He asks: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Jesus is emphasizing God’s goodness — He wants to reassure us that God is not like the unjust judge — that He has our best interests in mind, will answer our prayers, will grant justice, that He will help us.


This gospel highlights the epicentre of faith — that we must trust in God. Jesus is insistent here that God is trustworthy, and He should know. And one could say that we should just listen to Him. But is it really that simple? How many of us, in our human struggles, have prayed desperate prayers that have not been answered as we have asked? How many of us have felt that God has indeed delayed long in helping us? We can’t ignore this stumbling block in faith. If we have experienced the disappointment (devastation!) of unanswered prayer, we can easily become discouraged.

"He sees the difficulty, understands the complexity, and feels our pain."

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The beautiful thing here is that Jesus acknowledges that He understands this human tendency when He asks, hypothetically, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” He sees the difficulty, understands the complexity, and feels our pain. This is why He begins by emphasizing that we shouldn’t lose heart. He doesn’t explain the “why” of our suffering or the suffering around us. But for me, there is comfort in the knowledge that He understands my pain — because in His Passion, He trusted God every unimaginable, excruciating step of the way.   


As a parent, I know that I can’t always protect my children from the pain of loss, or pain that has been inflicted on them by others. Also, although it is sometimes my temptation to do so, I know that it is of no benefit to my children for me to take away the pain of a lesson that needs to be learned. It has taken me years to learn, but I now know that the best thing I can do is reassure them of my love with my presence, acknowledge whatever they feel, feel it with them, forgive them and their adversaries, and in doing so, share the weight of the pain. I am not always perfect in this — but God is a perfect parent. I believe that this is what Jesus wants us to hear. He will sit with us, reassure us of His love, understand what we feel, forgive us and others, and in doing so, share the burden. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Jesus will bridge the gap between us and God, between our lack of understanding and God’s all-knowing goodness.


Pray always, and do not lose heart.


Lindsay Elford

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