Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

October 19, 2025

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples 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?"

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The Key to Prayer: Persistence

~Rev. Paul Galetto, OSA

Pastor Saint Paul Parish + Philadelphia, Pa

Prayer is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel; the Evangelist frequently depicts Jesus at prayer and the Lord also instructs his disciples on how to pray. Prayer is what makes strong and good disciples. The lesson from today’s first reading is that the success of Israel is rooted not in power but in prayer; when the arms of Moses are raised in prayer, Israel succeeds. From the start of today’s Gospel pericope, the reader needs to distinguish between continual prayer and continuous prayer. The teaching of Jesus here is the value of continual prayer; don’t give up.

You can take a break from a prayer but never take a break from prayer itself. You do not win God’s favor by a multiplicity of words (continuous) but by relentless fervor. It benefits the one who is praying to stop and listen to what God is saying. The judge in today’s parable is unrighteous; he had an obligation to hear the widow (the representative of the poorest of the poor). He eventually hears what the widow has to say because she is continual in her harassment of the judge; he wants this bothersome behavior to cease! We also must remember that prayer changes the one who prays.

By continual prayer we will come to realize what is truly important to us and what conforms to God’s will for us. No matter how persistent we are in prayer, God is not going to give us anything that is bad for us. God loves us too much to do that. As we hear in the second reading about the proclamation of the Scriptures so too for prayer: be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient.

The Real Work of Prayer is the Waiting

~Dennis Mueller

Saint Albert the Great Church + Huntingdon Valley, Pa.



Jesus tells us to pray always without becoming weary. But what does that look like when you're exhausted or at the end of your rope? When the diagnosis doesn’t change, the relationship remains strained, the ministry feels fruitless, or the silence from heaven leaves you weary and disheartened?

There have been many seasons in my life when prayer felt like knocking on a door that would never open. In those times I knock, I seek, I ask, sometimes I even beg, and nothing seems to change. Prayer in those moments appear fruitless, but appearances, as we know, can be deceiving.  Sometimes the real work of prayer is the waiting.

I’ve found myself in the widow’s shoes more than once – crying out for clarity, for healing, for resolution. And I’ve wrestled with the question Jesus poses at the end: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Will He find it in me?  I hope so!

The widow persisted in her efforts because she believed her small voice should matter. That’s the kind of faith Jesus is seeking from me – not just belief in His power to do something, but trust in His goodness and love for me because I know that I matter to Him.  It’s faith that allows me to remain steadfast in prayer even when the timeline is unclear and the waiting becomes unbearable. 



The real work of prayer is the waiting.  The extended wait allows me to ponder what’s really going on in my heart. Am I seeking something or Someone?  Am I seeking control, or surrender? The longer I stand and stare at the unopened door, the more I realize my steadfastness in prayer isn’t about trying to change God’s mind.  It’s about remaining in His love and allowing Him to shape my heart so that I can love Him more fully regardless of the answer I may or may not receive.