Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
“But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” This question ends today's gospel and brings a close to Christ's reflection on the parable of the dishonest judge and the persistent old widow. I get the impression this is less of an inquiry and more of a challenge, a throwing of the gauntlet if you will. But what is the challenge? To understand this challenge we must look to the characters in the parable. From them we understand the meaning of faith to go beyond simply the assent of our knowledge, but to also encompass obedience to the Lord, respect for our fellow humans, and perseverance.
In turning to this parable to illuminate Christ's words, we must look to the flaws of the judge and the success of the old widow. The first flaw of the dishonest judge was that he did not fear the Lord. We know from Isaiah that one of the Gifts of the Spirit is fear of the Lord. There is much that is wrapped up in this phrase. A large part of it is the recognition that God is God, and I am not. It is the understanding that I am a creature and my entire existence is held in God's hands. When we allow this truth to seep into our lives our response should be nothing but obedience. Often though, I soften God's words to make them suit what I want instead. Or I convince myself that “He'll understand if I don't do this or if I do that.” And so often, it is disobedience regarding what I justly owe others where this softening causes the most devastation.
The second major flaw of the dishonest judge is that he did not respect any human being. This is second in both preeminence and order. It is second in preeminence because we owe all to God and receive all from God. It is second in order because it flows from the first flaw. If we follow the natural conclusion that God is God and I am not, it helps us realize that all of us are equal, and if we are all equal we should respect one another. Also, if fear of the Lord moves us toward obedience we should obey His command to love one another. It is important to note though that this 'second place' does not lessen the importance of possessing both fear of the Lord and respect for other human beings. This is such an important aspect of the challenge from Christ to find faith on earth. Yet, how often do we devalue our faith by not letting it shape how we treat our friends, coworkers, family, and enemies? How often do fail to share our faith because we neglect the fact that our neighbor needs the Lord just as much as we do? How often do we raise our voice up in defense of those being treated unjustly? Respect for others, however, means treating them with respect, sharing with them our source of life, and using our position to ensure justice for others, especially those with the weakest voice.
Finally, from the old widow we learn the importance of perseverance. What a great reminder the Psalm is, “Remember the marvels the Lord has done!” It is this remembrance that helps strengthen our perseverance. Christ's challenge of faith demands this perseverance. We need to persevere in our fear of the Lord and respect for our neighbor if we want the Son of Man to find faith on earth. Often we can write off His coming as the second coming and tell ourselves that it might not happen in my lifetime. Yet, how true it is that we encounter the Son of Man here, in our walk upon the earth! To remind us of this we have the strong words of Christ that declare, “Whatever you do the least of these, you do unto me.”
Thus we should, for fear of the Lord, respect one another, and persevere in this action and belief, so that when the Son of Man comes He shall find faith upon the earth. We should do so because we remember the marvels the Lord has done and depend on Him fully, and upon His grace.
- Spencer Hargadon