Proper
24 :: Genesis 32: 22–31 / Psalm 121 / II Timothy 3: 14 – 4: 5 / Luke 18: 1-8
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, by Fr. Gene Tucker
on Sunday, October 20, 2019.
“THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER”
(Homily
text: Luke 18: 1–8)
Today’s
parable, most commonly known as the “Parable of the Unjust Judge”, places
before us the matter of prayer. As is the case with many of the parables that
Luke passes along to us, this one is Lukan material alone.
Jesus’
parable sets before us a scene in which a widow woman pesters an unjust judge
to give her legal satisfaction for her complaint. Again and again, Jesus tells
us, the woman comes before the judge, demanding justice. Finally, she triumphs,
simply because she has managed to wear the judge down.
Jesus’
teaching is a classic case of a rhetorical device known as “lesser-to-greater”.
Jesus makes the point that, if an unjust judge can be persuaded to grant a
request, God, who is the very definition of being just, and who is compassionate
and righteous, will grant the petitions of those who pray to Him without the
need to continually ask for those things that are needed. A collect in the
Prayer Book states this reality well, saying that “God is more willing to hear
than we are to pray.”
What
about prayer?
We
can summarize the business – and the work – of prayer in one word: Mystery. For the purposes of this discussion,
mystery is defined as something we know works, we just don’t know exactly how.
We
know that prayer is necessary – oftentimes lots of it – for anything to unfold
according to God’s will.
But
just how does it work?
The
truth is, we don’t know, exactly. We just know that it does. When people pray,
things change.
Which
brings us to the next point about prayer: If God is all-knowing, then God knows
the intent of our hearts and those things that are necessary for our life and
our salvation before we ask Him for them. So why should we pray, then? Perhaps
the reason is that when we pray, and especially when we pray about something
again and again and over a period of time, we are the ones who change. We
change by realizing that our reliance is, ultimately, on God, not on ourselves.
For another thing, we learn something about perseverance, about the need to
live by faith and to not give up. And for yet another, we can come to realize
something deeper or new about God’s will in the matter which fills the content
of our prayers
Prayer
always results in an answer, always. God will provide us with one of three
answer: Yes, No, or Not now. When the
answer is “No”, time will often disclose that God’s way is much better than our
way. At least that’s been my life’s experience.
Today’s
parable presents us with a case of a person making petitions. A balanced prayer
involves making petitions, but it also involves in offering thanksgivings for
God’s blessings and for growth into the full stature of Christ. In fact, it’s
not a bad idea to begin our prayers with the offering of thanksgivings. Our
human relationships mirror this reality…offering thanks is a key skill that
each of us needs in order to function in this life (along with being able to
say “Please”, “Thank you” and “I’m sorry”). So it is with
God: We should offer our thanksgivings often. Reflecting on those blessings
that have come our way, whether or not those blessings have come directly from
God, or from somewhere else.
Welcome,
then, to the business of prayer, a mystery whose workings we don’t completely
understand, even as we affirm that prayer works. Prayer changes things, and
makes possible the coming of the kingdom of God in our midst.
AMEN.
