Proper 24 (29) – Year C
October 19, 2025
Gospel Lectionary Text
Luke 18:1-8
18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
18:2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people.
18:3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.'
18:4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone,
18:5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'"
18:6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.
18:7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?
18:8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Context
Coming soon.
Question
Coming soon.
Reflections
This Widow
By Lina Thompson |
As I’ve read today’s passage, I’ve been wracking my brain with this question: Have I ever had to persist in my prayers to God? Has there ever been anything I have desired so much that I have continually petitioned God like the widow in today’s text?
The Joy of All Desiring
By Kris Rocke |
We don’t know the specifics of her case, though I like to imagine her as the Rosa Parks of her community. What we know for sure is that she ultimately wears out the unjust judge with her demands. He grants her request, if only to get some rest. Unfortunately, this describes the experience of prayer...
Faith from Below
By Lina Thompson |
This is a familiar parable Jesus uses to teach us about the nature of prayer. The widow shows us what it looks like to persist in prayer: to keep praying, believing and acting like God will answer our prayers because God is just and merciful. Even though it is familiar, this parable has always left…
Not Even Abraham
By Kris Rocke |
This week’s text is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lives a life of plenty, while Lazarus lay at the threshold of his gate “covered in sores” suffering the indignities of wretched poverty. “He longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table” (v. 21). The…
Praying Eucharistically - Weekly Homily by James Alison:
Understanding the Bible anew through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard.
Poetry
Excerpt from The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
“What I love best about Shug is what she been through. When you look in Shug’s eyes you know she been where she been, seen what she seen, did what she did. And now she know. And if you don’t git out the way, she’ll tell you about it.” – Celie –
Excerpt from Let The Great World Spin
by Colum McCann
In this passage Tillie reflects on God’s role in her life of abandonment, abuse, the death of her daughter (Jazzlyn), as well as her good friend (Corrigan). At 60 years old, Tillie is a no nonsense, tough as nails, survivor and a career prostitute since she was 15. Tillie is in prison because she takes the blame for a robbery she committed with her daughter, Jazzlyn, who, like her, also became a prostitute. Tillie is distraught over her daughter’s death and resolves to kill herself, but not before she gets this offer chest.
“I don’t know who God is, but if I meet Him anytime soon I’m going to get Him in the corner until He tells me the truth. I am going to slap Him stupid and push Him around until He can’t run away. Until He’s looking up at me and then I’ll get Him to tell me why He done what he done to me and what he done to Corrie and why do all the good ones die and where is Jazzlyn now, and why she ended up there, and how He allowed me to do what I done to her. He’s going to come along on His pretty white cloud with all His pretty little angels flapping their pretty while wings and I’m gonna out and say it formal: Why the fuck did you let me do it, God? And He’s gonna drop His eyes and look to the ground and answer me. And if He says Jazz ain’t in heaven, if He says she didn’t make it through, He’s gonna get himself and ass-kicking. That’s what He’s gonna get. An ass-kicking like none He ever got before.”
Prayer
Coming soon.