I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily

17 NOVEMBER (Lk 18,1-8)

The judge exists to praise the Lord, bless him, to reveal to men the wisdom of God who ordered all things according to perfect truth. How does the Lord praise and bless? Fearing him and operating justice according to the truth, fruit in him of the wisdom and intelligence of the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit of the Lord is not in him, not even wisdom dwells there. In this case he will act according to the letter, but not the truth.

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD! (Psal 148,1-14).

When the judge does not act according to wisdom and intelligence in the Holy Spirit, when he lets himself be fooled by his small mind, corruption spreads rapidly on earth. A country without certainty of Justice soon becomes ungovernable. All sorts of transgressions of the Commandments shall prosper in it. Evil will spread. The abuses of the arrogant will make the hearts of the poor and weak bleed. All this because of a not carried out justice. The judge is the heart, the mind, and the moral strength of a people. If he fails, all the people perish. For him, a people lives, for him it dies. For him, it rises and for him it falls. For him it resurrects and for him it goes into a moral and spiritual decline.

Today, Jesus speaks to us of a dishonest judge. He fears neither God nor man. He has no regard for anyone. His will is his law. There is no objective norm in his heart. He operates what is right in an arbitrary manner. He made himself a God, laws, statutes, commandments, rules and interpretation of them. He is the legislative, investigative and judging omnipotence. This man is not the servant of the law because he is the servant of God.

Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 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?”

Faced with this unjust and all-powerful judge there is a widow, that is the nothingness of nothing, the non strength, the non power, the non attached to any consortium of possible help. She is alone with her problems of justice. How does she overcome that dishonest man without any fear of God? Repeating every day the same request: “Grant me justice against my adversary.” This widow does not claim, not threat, does not involve anybody. She reminds him simply her desire not once, but every day, always.

Her insistence is rewarded. The judge does her justice not because he mends his own ways or repents of his injustice, but because he wishes he is no longer bothered. An incessant demand bends him. Omnipotence surrenders before nullity. This is the power of insistent prayer, without interruption, elevated every day.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us how to pray well.