A Call to Persistent Prayer in Spiritual Battle
The Gospel reading, Luke 18:1–8, presents the parable of the persistent widow. In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples a parable to show them the necessity of praying always without becoming weary. He describes a judge who neither feared God nor respected people, and a widow who repeatedly came to him seeking justice. Initially, the judge refused, but eventually, he granted her request to avoid being worn out by her persistence.
The key to understanding this passage lies in the judge’s own words: “While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.”
That last phrase—“lest she finally come and strike me”—is especially interesting. The original Greek verb used here literally means “to give a black eye.” It’s a boxing term. I love that imagery of the widow fighting for justice, refusing to give up.
It reminds me of a story from a few years ago. A priest was celebrating daily Mass when an intruder came in and attacked him. Without hesitation, the elderly women in the front pew —armed with canes—rushed forward and beat the attacker until he fled. They saved the priest’s life. (You don’t mess with church ladies.)
Now, what can confuse people about this parable is why Jesus seems to compare God to an unjust judge. The explanation lies in a type of Jewish argumentation used in the first century called qal vahomer, meaning “from the lesser to the greater.” The logic goes: if something is true for the lesser, how much more true is it for the greater?
If an unrighteous judge will grant justice because of persistence, how much more will the righteous Judge of the universe—God Himself—hear and respond to the persistent prayers of His people? God is calling us to fight like the widow, to pray with determination and endurance. Growing up with six brothers, I learned early what it meant to fight for what I wanted. That same fighting spirit is what God wants from us in prayer—because we are in a spiritual battle between good and evil.
The Church calls us the “Church Militant.” That title is no accident. It reminds us that we are engaged in this battle, armed not with weapons, but with prayer.
This truth is beautifully illustrated in Exodus 17:8–13 where Moses must keep his arms raised during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites. As long as his arms were lifted, the Israelites prevailed; when they fell, the enemy gained ground. Eventually, Moses grew so weary that others had to help him hold up his arms.
That image captures the very heart of our prayer life. How often do we grow tired and are tempted to give up? Yet prayer is the difference between victory and defeat.
Moses, with his arms raised, prefigures Christ on the Cross—where the ultimate battle was fought and won. There, Jesus conquered sin, death, and evil once and for all.
So, do not let your guard down. We are in a battle—but one that has already been won by Christ. Evil cannot prevail if we stay close to Him through prayer, through His Church, and through persistent faith.
Keep your arms raised like Moses. Fight like the widow. Pray without ceasing. If we do this, Satan will never prevail against us.
Father James Schibi, Pastor