Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 12, 2022 - Saturday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[3 John 5-8 and Luke 18:1-8]Jesus told his disciples 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 along time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'White it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver adjust decision for her lest she finally come and strike me,'" [Luke]
NOVEMBER 12 ST. JOSAPHAT, bishop and martyr
One of the most frequent complaints I hear in spiritual direction is the question of "time to pray." That complaint is sometimes paired with another complaint, "What's the use? Nothing ever comes of it!" Jesus' parable of the persistent widow tells us that God is certainly better than the reluctant judge, and that persistence and perseverance in prayer will bring help from God. The problem, often, is that we come with a specific demand rather than with a desire to strengthen the relationship, which itself is the goal!
In friendship, "quality time" is important. But it cannot be equated with "quantity time," although the latter may be the key to the former! In my years of campus ministry, I have come to learn that the most valuable thing a student can give me is their "time." In professional practices like health care and law, etc., "Time is money!" and "quality" is often sacrificed to "quantity."
Two of the most important "tools" in this challenge are intentionality and routine. When devotion becomes habitual without any intentionality, it becomes empty. On the other hand, regularity is important so that friends do not "lose touch" with each other. If we want to have a strong relationship with God, it has to have some kind of priority that is expressed in "quality time," A good spiritual director can help in discerning how much that might be in a given individual's life, just as close friends can decide how they want to "manage" their relationship.
The persistent widow offers us a lesson in intentionality and persistence and a reminder of the importance of quality time with God. AMEN