29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME : PERSISTENCE IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY.............

The Gospel story proclaimed for us on this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, from Luke 18:1-8; is the familiar Parable of Jesus, 'The Widow And The Unjust Judge'.  It speaks to us as Catholic-Christian Disciples of a countercultural interaction between a struggling, almost destitute widow in Israel and her unyielding expectation that a corrupt, near indifferent judge could be prevailed upon to deal with her justly in providing her the assistance she needed and deserved.  Integral to the inherent message of this Parable is the persistence exhibited by the widow who was being treated wrongly and her boundless faith that against all but certain expectations, that from her disadvantaged position in society as a childless widow she would prevail in convincing the judge to render a just decision on her behalf.  The structures of contemporary society in cultural ordinances and religious belief and practice are not seemingly stacked against particular classes of people while geared to those in positions of power, yet the probability for unfairness and injustice still exists in the community of believers as well as in the wider community of humankind.  The lesson of today's Gospel Proclamation is a clear call to everyone who is disadvantaged or marginalized by the politics and prerogatives of unfairness and injustice on the part of the powerfully positioned in this world, is to persist and persevere in Faith and Prayer.  The transformative leaven of Faith in Action and the Power of Prayer practiced with persistence and perseverance, can and will ultimately succeed and God's Will be done, just as it was for the widow who always believed she would receive a just judgment.............Fr.  Troy David Powers