Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 18:1-8
October 16, 2022 | Sunday

Today’s Gospel

Jesus told them a parable, to show them that they should pray continually, and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge, who neither feared God nor people. In the same town there was a widow, who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my adversary!’ For a time he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much, I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”

And Jesus said, “Listen to what the evil judge says. Will God not do justice for his chosen ones, who cry to him day and night, even if he delays in answering them? I tell you, he will speedily do them justice. But, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Today’s Reflection:

In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts us to follow the example of the widow who resolutely asks the unjust judge for justice. The judge who is said to have no fear of God and respect for anyone is forced to grant what is due her on account of her two actions.

Firstly, the widow keeps on bothering him or, more precisely, keeps on giving him “trouble” (κόπος). Secondly, she gradually wears him out through her relentless demand for justice. Striking herein is the Greek verb used in describing her action, namely, ὑπωπιάςω. It is a verbal form of the noun ὑπώπιον, which primarily refers to “the part of the face under the eyes” and secondarily to “the eyes themselves or the whole face” (TDNT). In the literal sense, she relentlessly boxes the judge first under his eyes and then his entire face to the point of giving him black eyes. In the metaphorical sense, she assiduously fights for what is due her to the point of putting the judge’s reputation at risk. She is in a way putting “a black eye” on the judge’s social standing.

In what sense then can this widow destroy the judge’s reputation? It must first be born in mind that widows at the time of Jesus remained generally vulnerable. They were poor or became impoverished following the death of their husbands on whom they had been all along dependent. But in an honour-shame society of the first century Palestine, they were not totally powerless. They had a “power of the tongue”, that is, they made use of gossiping as a way of getting back at their more powerful opponents. At that time, gossips could potentially bring down judges and rulers.

It is worth noting that there were a lot of Jewish widows at that time because many Jewish soldiers had perished during the numerous skirmishes and wars. The obstinate judge—despite his initial refusal—gave in to the widow’s demand because her case which he had unjustly handled was becoming a talk of the town. Her mere presence could have become a threat to him that he felt forced to grant her justice. He had to save his reputation, which when irreparably damaged, could cost him his job.

How then can we apply the example of widow in our present quests for justice? Her example is very much applicable in our fight for justice in the present-day city squares, namely, the social media. All sorts of information are spread far and wide in social media. On the one hand, dictators and populists have won elections by spreading propagandas and false news online. On the other hand, good causes like care for the earth, fight for human rights, Gospel values have also been promoted in a worldwide scale through social media.

Similarly, we can make use of social media in our fights for justice. We have to beat those who spread scams, false news, and all kinds of deception. How? By sticking to the facts. By being truthful in our sharing and spreading of information. Of course, this is easier said than done. But persistently and perseveringly sticking to the facts and sharing the truth ensures our vindication at the end. /Vulnerasti, 2022