Gospel Luke 18:1-8
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?”

The message
The widow is persistent. She won’t give up. She keeps asking the judge for justice, even though it is clear he’s not interested in her case. After all, he is an unjust judge who has no fear of God and no respect for people. The pleadings of a mere widow cut no ice with him.
But she won’t leave him alone. She won’t desist. The woman wants justice and she’s determined to get it. Maybe she’s being cheated out of her inheritance, or is being abused in some way, but whatever the reason she is utterly convinced she has right on her side.
And then the judge gives in, not because he is interested in justice or moved with compassion, but because he’s afraid of her. When he says that the widow will ‘wear him out,’ what the Greek literally says is: ‘she will finally hit me under the eye.’ In other words, the judge who neither fears God nor respects people grants her request because he is scared the widow will give him a black eye.
The message of the parable is this: Prayer isn’t simply saying pious words. Like the persistent widow, we can’t be content merely to pray for whatever it is we seek, we must actively seek it. There is a close link between prayer and the work of justice.

The lesson
The Gurkhas couldn’t believe their luck. For years Nepalese veterans who served in the British army before 1997 had been campaigning for the right to settle in the UK but without success. And then the actress Joanna Lumley took up their cause. Her father had served with the Gurkas and she felt they were being treated unjustly. She began a campaign on their behalf which attracted huge publicity and put tremendous pressure on the authorities. In the end, the British government had to give in. Ministers were afraid the actress would give them a metaphorical black eye!
There are many Joanna Lumleys throughout our world today, women and men who work for justice. For more than twenty years widows and mothers have marched in Buenos Aires seeking to discover the fate of their sons and husbands who disappeared during the military rule of the 1980s. Closer to home, there are the women like Christine Buckley and Marie Collins who suffered abuse and persisted until they were heard.
To be a follower of Jesus means to work for justice. In fact, the Church teaches that action for justice is a constitutive part of preaching the Gospel. It is not enough for us to tell the poor, the hungry, the abused, the unjustly treated that “we will pray for them.” We must also do whatever we can to address the injustice. And, like the persistent widow, we mustn’t give up.

The challenge
Prayer and justice go hand in hand. If we are people who pray, then our prayer will compel us to be concerned for justice and to work for it.
It might mean speaking out and becoming unpopular when we defend someone who is treated unjustly. It might mean naming an abuse and challenging an abuser. It might mean taking on the institutions of Church or State.
What injustices exist in our Church and our society today that need to be addressed? Do you have the courage, like the persistent widow, to work for justice and to keep on working for it?

The Prayer
“Lord, give me the courage and the commitment of the persistent widow. Help me not only to pray for justice but to work for it. Amen.”

--- Prayers for the Mass ---

Opening Prayer
God of wisdom and love,
Send your Spirit to teach us your truth
And guide our actions,
That we may honour you not only with our lips,
But also by our way of living.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts:
Lord, make holy these gifts, and through them,
bring us closer to you and to one another.
Grant this through Christ Our Lord.

Concluding Prayer:
Loving Father,
You renew us at your table with the bread of life.
May this food strengthen us in love and justice,
And help us to serve you in each other.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

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Rev. Edith Quirey, Rector of St Stephen’s & St Luke’s Church of Ireland - part1

Rev. Edith Quirey, Rector of St Stephen’s & St Luke’s Church of Ireland - part2

Day7 Rev. Brian Fletcher, Minister of Cullybackey Methodist Churchevening Homily part1

Day7 Rev. Brian Fletcher, Minister of Cullybackey Methodist Churchevening Homily part2

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