Then Jesus told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘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.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”   

As the kings and queens of Narnia resume their role as leaders of the people of Narnia in the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," it is evident that the inhabitants of Narnia are in dire need. And not only them, but the rightful heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, is likewise in need of help as he tries to give the kingdom back to the Narnians. Lucy, the youngest queen, asks the question of the Narnians, "What about Aslan?" Aslan was the God the people needed, the God who had helped the people so definitely the last time the kings and queens were there. It was clear that the people had given up on such a God since they did not think he cared about them anymore. At one time after Lucy sees Aslan, and Peter, her brother, the highest king, does not see him, he asks Lucy, "Why wouldn't I have seen him?" Lucy very simply explains, "Maybe you weren't looking." The problem was that no one was asking for the help that only Aslan could give. Their faith had failed.

Human beings do not understand God's plan, mainly because God with infinite wisdom will never make sense to people with finite thinking. We want what we want, and we want the infinite to agree with us who are finite. Lucy asks Aslan in the movie: "Why didn't you come to help us?" Aslan tells her, saying it at two different times in the movie to emphasize its truth: "Things never happen the same way twice." That is to say, things are different all the time, because circumstances are different, people are different. People need God in different ways and even though God will be present always, God may not be present the same way every time.

Jesus explains it with the rhetorical question: will the Son of Man find any faith on earth when he comes again? Faith is the problem. Certainly, God will answer prayer. Just as certain as a dishonest judge will answer to satisfy a persistent woman, God will answer, and answer even speedily. The problem as Lucy explains, is that as we ask, we are not looking for answers in the right places. We refuse to go beyond our own circle of reasoning to understand the works of God.

Nowhere in the Scriptures does the Lord ever say that we will get exactly what we want. His concentration is always on how the people are believing. If we believe that God is in charge, and pray with the mindset that God will take care of this situation as we try to choose what we think is right, then our prayer is heard. If we pray with the thought that God knows more than we do, even though we want something very badly, then the prayer is heard. God is very active in our world, but we must have faith enough to observe the action.             

THOUGHT

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, one of the most difficult concepts for us to comprehend is how you work in our lives. As believers, however, we trust that you are at work in our lives constantly. Help us have stronger faith in you. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America