After Yes
St. James Fordham
2500 Jerome Avenue
Bronx, NY 10468
Sunday @ 10 am
What do you do when the answer is "No?"
Do you accept it and walk away? Or do you argue your case all the more?
For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming."' - Luke 18:4-5
The parable reminds us that persistence pays.
Jesus seems to be comparing God's grace to the indifference of an unjust judge, but he is actually going a step further.
He uses the parable of the judge who was tormented to make a decision by a persistent woman to show us something about ourselves.
He tells us that even though God is quick to dispense justice, the people will not remain faithful. When the son of man comes, he will not find faith among them, he tells us.
So, what does that say about us?
There may be a clue in the actions of the woman. She is persistent when the judge ignores her pleas, but once her demands are granted, what then?
What are we like after "Yes?"
When things go our way, do we act as though we do not need God?
When I look at church attendance, I wonder if that is true. On days when we are frightened for the future, dealing with disaster, we come together and pray. What about at other times?
Well, you could say that we come together for joyous occasions as well, like weddings and Baptisms, and that is true. Like the woman, we come to God as a judge, a mediator, a problem solver, and an authority to administer the services we need or demand.
But what about all the other times? don't we need to come to give praise, to offer thanks, and just to be together as a family, a body?
In this woman, Jesus gives us a glimpse of ourselves. We are demanding and we have great convictions for what we want as individuals. Perhaps, though, we should look beyond our own needs and wants.
The time to remember to come back to the community of faith is after we get to "Yes." When we have something to celebrate or be thankful for, we should come together and offer thanks, pray together and share the joys.
Then, from that day forward, we should come to hear and experience the joys and thanks of others, as well as offer a shoulder to lean on and our presence to comfort those who have not gotten their "Yes."
God made us to be most effective in communion with each other. It is how we strengthen and support each other, how we grow in our faith.
If we fail to see that, we will be alone, lost, constantly pleading for someone to hear us.
So, this Sunday, take some time out and join the folks who come. Smile at them and pray for them, as they will be praying for you. You might just enjoy the company. God does.
More to come...