The Journey of Faith
Persistence, Prayer, and the Kingdom
INTRO: Persistent prayer shows faith and trust in God. A loving God will certainly respond to his people's pleas. The common thread through our passages for today is that faithfulness to God manifests through action, whether by helping others, practicing generosity, or continually seeking justice through prayer.
Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
III John 5-8
Luke 18:1-8
The designated readings for today include a section from John's third epistle, the 112th Psalm, and a parable out of Luke's gospel18:1-8. In addition, the readings fall on the anniversaries of two saints: St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Gertrude the Great of Germany. So we are faced with a grouping of disparate readings; how do we tie them all together?
Image by Moonpieandsometea
First, a brief description of the saints: St. Margaret of Scotland, born around 1045, was known for her piety, unending prayer, and charitable works in efforts to reform the Scottish church, while St. Gertrude the Great from Germany was born in 1256, was a Benedictine nun known for her profound spiritual writings and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While there is no known historical link between St. Margaret and St. Gertrude, their simultaneous celebrations allow the faithful to honor two influential figures in Christian history who exemplified devotion and service in different ways.
One anecdote concerning Saint Gertrude is the tradition that Jesus gave her a prayer, that if said as a devotional, 1000 souls would be released from purgatory every time the prayer was said respectfully. However, it should be noted that this promise does not appear in any of St. Gertrude's writings and is more of a popular devotion than an official church doctrine. Despite this, the prayer remains comforting for Catholics who wish to pray for their souls in purgatory.
For today's readings, the third epistle of John is a brief letter in the New Testament written by the apostle John. It's the shortest book in the Bible by word count, consisting of only 219 words in its original Greek. The letter focuses on Christian hospitality, leadership, and walking in truth. John takes the title of "the elder" in addressing Gaius, a faithful Christian leader known for his hospitality in support of traveling missionaries. John writes it to counter the leadership issues of another person involved, Diotrephes, whom John condemns for his arrogance and refusal to accept John's authority. He rejects John's messengers and excommunicates those in his church who show them hospitality. So John
warns Gaius about Diotrephese's harmful behavior and his intent to confront him when he visits. Commentators have since described this
person as someone whose desire for prominence and control within the church led him to reject the authority of John and other apostolic authorities.
Some Biblical scholars have conjectured that his name carries a significant meaning that may provide insight into his background. The name is of Greek origin and means "cherished by Zeus." This etymology suggests that he likely came from a pagan, Gentile background, as Zeus was the chief deity in Greek mythology.
Furthermore, his name may indicate that he could have been raised in a non-Christian environment before his involvement in the early Christian church. One example is that despite converting to Christianity, he retained his pagan name, which is unusual for Gentile converts, who often adopted Christian names to sign their acceptance of Christ's teachings. So perhaps Diotrephese had not entirely abandoned his former ways or values, which might explain some of his behavior in the church.
The parable of the persistent widow, also known as the parable of the unjust judge, is found in Luke 18:1 through eight. This parable is one of Jesus's teachings about the importance of persistence in prayer and faith in God's attendance to our pleadings. In this story, a widow repeatedly approaches an unjust judge to see justice against the adversary. The judge, who neither fears God nor respects people, initially refuses her requests. However, due to her persistent badgering of the judge, he eventually grants her justice to avoid being worn out by her continual pleas. The primary lesson of this parable is the importance of persistent prayer.
Jesus uses the story to teach his disciples always to pray and "not to give up”. Moreover, persistent prayer shows faith and trust in God. The unjust judge eventually grants justice due to the widow's perseverance despite his lack of moral integrity. However, the parable contrasts an unjust judge with God, highlighting that if a corrupt judge can be persuaded to act justly through persistence, a loving God will certainly respond to his people's pleas. Unlike the judge who acts out of self-interest and worries that people in society will think even less of him than they do now, God's actions are rooted in righteousness and compassion.
The common thread through our passages for today is that faithfulness to God manifests through action. Three John expresses it through hospitality and support for fellow believers. In Psalm 112 it is seen in righteous living, generosity, and steadfastness. Luke 18 demonstrates it through persistent prayer and trust in God's justice. All three passages emphasize that true faith involves active participation in God's work, whether through supporting others, living righteously, or persistently seeking justice. Thus, these passages collectively encourage believers to live out their faith through persistent action, whether by helping others, practicing generosity, or continually seeking justice through prayer.
Now, that is my official presentation of today's assigned readings; however, in doing my research for this talk, I was struck with the number of parables that are included in Luke's gospel, 29 to be exact, of which 24 are found within the section known as the Travel Narrative. In comparison, Matthew had 23 parables in his entire gospel, and Mark only had six. So why does Luke include so many parables, I asked myself and why in such a travel format? Well, part of the answer could be that Luke was a disciple of Paul and accompanied him on some of his proselytizing trips and saw the benefit of this form of spreading Jesus’s message to Gentiles, who were the ultimate target of Lukes's Gospel writings.
As it turns out, the so-called Travel Narrative is a significant and unique gospel section used only by Luke and focuses on Jesus's journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. This narrative is more than a geographical journey. Instead, most importantly, it is a theological one embedded with teachings, parables, and encounters that emphasize key themes that are very characteristic of Luke's gospel. His focus on the marginalized highlights Jesus's open-arm outreach to those on the fringes of society. His teaching about God's kingdom is portrayed as the complete opposite of what the world values. He also describes how
God rejoices over those who are lost but repent and return to him. Several of his parables show this.
The symbolism of journeying in Luke's Gospel represents more than a physical trip. It symbolizes the spiritual reawakening through God's ultimate purpose. During this trip, Luke consistently reminds us that Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem – the city where prophets are killed.
This foreshadows his passion and crucifixion. The journey prepares Jesus's disciples and readers for what awaits them in Jerusalem – the climax of Jesus's earthly ministry. By focusing on teaching during this journey, Luke presents discipleship as an ongoing process of learning that continues as one follows Jesus on the path toward Jerusalem – and ultimately toward God's kingdom.