Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The parable Jesus shares today might strike us as odd, perhaps even funny. A dishonest judge who is unafraid of God and man decides to deliver a just decision for a widow because he is concerned that after her persistence in seeking justice, she may come and strike him. The one who is unafraid of God and man is afraid of a widow. While we ordinarily might spend some time focused on the promise that God delivers justice for those who are oppressed, that God will always answer our prayers, even if it seems to us to take a long time, and that we should renew our trust and confidence in the Lord, perhaps today we can read this Gospel from a less obvious perspective.

Luke’s Gospel includes the most detailed narratives of the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus. Scholars believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the people the evangelist spoke to as the Gospel was committed to writing. It is in Luke’s Gospel that we hear the phrase repeated “Mary pondered these things in her heart.” Luke shows us Mary as one who contemplates the mysteries of Jesus’ life, as one for whom the life, teachings, deeds, and love of Jesus are never far from mind. Mary is the model for faithful prayer, perseverance, and trust. By the time Luke’s Gospel was written – and in fact by the time of our Lord’s public ministry – Mary was a widow (tradition tells us that St. Joseph passed to his reward sometime before Jesus began to teach). We don’t usually think of Mary as a widow but keep that idea in mind. I wonder then, if we might see some symbolic language used in the Gospel today. Admittedly, this is probably a stretch…but stay with me. Suppose we see the unjust judge who fears neither God nor respects and human being as a figure for the devil. The devil’s great rebellion is against God’s authority, and having been cast out of heaven, without regard for the dignity of humanity created in the image and likeness of God, the devil tries to lead mankind astray. But God sets in motion a plan for the salvation of his most precious creation, a plan by which he becomes one with humanity, taking on human flesh. This all happens by the free and total cooperation of a woman. Mary’s obedience is the undoing of Eve’s disobedience, her perseverance, the undoing of Eve’s faltering, her fidelity the undoing of Eve’s infidelity. But Mary does not merely untie the knots of history. From the cross Jesus gives her a mission: “Woman, behold your son.” Mary is now sent on the offensive – she will guide, guard, and protect the Church, that is, all those who, because they are followers of her Divine Son, have been made sons and daughters of God.

October is the month of the Rosary. This powerful prayer connects us to this powerful mother, a widow who is on a mission. She does not go to the unjust judge who neither fears God nor respects us to ask for justice. In fact, she strikes him. Mary is the woman clothed with the sun who defeats the devil, the great dragon, seen in Revelation 12. She is the one who strikes at the head of the serpent, as prophesied in Genesis 3:15. When we place ourselves and our families under her protection, when we take up the great spiritual weapon that is the Rosary, the devil, the unjust judge, runs away in fear. In the Gospel today, Jesus is reminding us of the importance of praying always, without growing weary. His mother, our mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, will teach us to be faithful in prayer, to persevere in trust, and to hold fast to the Gospel of her Son in everything. I encourage you to pray the Rosary, especially as a family, both this month dedicated to the Rosary, and every day.

“The family that prays together, stays together.” – Ven. Patrick Payton

Peace,

Fr. Sam