In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells a story that's supposed to encourage us to pray: "Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary." The story is about a corrupt judge who grants a widow her petition because she is, frankly, relentlessly persistent. The judge says "I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me."
In other words, Jesus points out that even the nastiest among us will grant someone their wish if they are persistent enough. I don't know about you, but on first reading this doesn't really make me want to pray. I mean, I don't like the idea of being a pest that God answers only out of sheer exasperation, or only to get me to stop making my requests!
I have to admit that I know a bit of what it is like to be a corrupt judge. My children pester me constantly when they want something --- whether it's a piece of candy or a new toy. They have the patience of Job when it comes to making their requests. They can repeat the same thing thousands of times and never seem to get tired. And I often give in out of fatigue and desperation --- just like the judge in the parable.
Of course, when my kids ask for something they really need, or something that reflects a genuine need, I respond in an instant. If they ask for help on their homework, or for a hug, or for more vegetables (it could happen!), I don't hesitate to answer their request.
"Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says," Jesus concludes. "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?"
God is not like a corrupt judge, of course. God does not grant our requests reluctantly. Frankly, I can't tell you what it is like to pester God incessantly for something I want or need. I rarely display that kind of persistence. I generally give up praying after a few attempts and then try and meet my needs in some other ways.
When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? If he's looking for people praying, well, then I for one better spend more time doing so. Praying, after all, is not just a means of making requests and hoping to get what we want, like treating God as some kind of spiritual vending machine. Prayer is about faith --- a means of practicing and expressing our dependence on God. Prayer is about listening and learning as much as it is about speaking and asking.
When the Son of Man returns, he will be looking for faith. You and I are called not just to come to God when we want the spiritual equivalent of a piece of candy, or even vegetables. We are called to place our lives in God's hands. Prayer is one way that surrender manifests itself. Let us cry out day and night that the Son of Man will find us faithful at all times. Bill Peatman writes from Napa. |