Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 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.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
“Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11) This quote from James relates well to our Gospel passage. Our faith must endure in the face of adversity. If we allow ourselves to lose hope, we put ourselves in danger of losing our faith. Discouragement is a strong adversary, and we need to fight the temptation to give up. We must have the enduring faith of Job and the persistence of the widow demanding justice. Jesus calls us to pray always and not to lose heart, and praying always is the surest way I know to keep myself from losing heart.
Phillip Schwartz
Reflections 
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