Gospel (Lk 18,1-8) - At that time, Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to always pray, without ever getting tired: «In a city there lived a judge who neither feared God nor had regard for anyone. In that city there was also a widow who came to him and said: "Give me justice against my adversary." For a while he didn't want to; but then he said to himself: "Even if I do not fear God and have no regard for anyone, since this widow bothers me so much, I will do justice to her so that she does not continually come to bother me." And the Lord added: «Listen to what the dishonest judge says. And will not God do justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he make them wait long? I tell you that he will do justice to them promptly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The first time the evangelist reports Jesus' teaching on prayer is when he gives them the Our Father (11.1-13). Now - it is the second time that he speaks about it to his disciples - he underlines "the need to always pray, without ever getting tired". Not only must they pray "always", but they must do so "without ever getting tired". The danger of losing courage or becoming discouraged when faced with requests that we do not see fulfilled is a very common experience. And to support this statement he tells the parable of a poor widow who asks a judge for justice. She, a symbol of the impotence of the weak in a society like that of Jesus' time, with her insistence on the dishonest and hard-hearted judge, is ultimately heard and obtains justice. It is a scene that is striking for its realism. But above all, its meaning applied to our prayer to the Father who is in heaven is extraordinary. If that harsh judge listened to that poor widow, Jesus seems to say, "how much more will your heavenly Father who is not only just but has a great and merciful heart listen to you?". The Gospel wants to convince us in every way of the strength and power of prayer: when it is insistent one could say that it forces God to intervene. Prayer is the first work that the disciple is called to do; we could say it is the first job that he must carry out, because it is with prayer that God's intervention in life and history takes place. And then, like any work, prayer also requires continuity and perseverance. Yes, prayer is not an extemporaneous job, a practice to be done every now and then. It is its continuity that ensures God's intervention. And in fact the greatest strength of the Christian is precisely in prayer. Faced with this statement, Jesus asks himself gravely: "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?". It is a question that profoundly questions individual disciples and communities. The Son of Man continues to come to earth, even today. What happens to our prayer? Blessed are we if the Lord finds us vigilant, that is, persevering in prayer.