20251115 SEEKING JUSTICE IN HIS TIME AND IN HIS WISDOM
15 November 2025, Saturday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Wisdom 18:14-16,19:6-9 |
The Red Sea became an unimpeded way
When peaceful silence lay over all,
and night had run the half of her swift course,
down from the heavens, from the royal throne, leapt your all-powerful Word;
into the heart of a doomed land the stern warrior leapt.
Carrying your unambiguous command like a sharp sword,
he stood, and filled the universe with death;
he touched the sky, yet trod the earth.
For, to keep your children from all harm,
the whole creation, obedient to your commands,
was once more, and newly, fashioned in its nature.
Overshadowing the camp there was the cloud,
where water had been, dry land was seen to rise,
the Red Sea became an unimpeded way,
the tempestuous flood a green plain;
sheltered by your hand, the whole nation passed across,
gazing at these amazing miracles.
They were like horses at pasture,
they skipped like lambs,
singing your praises, Lord, their deliverer.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):2-3,36-37,42-43 |
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to him, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
or
Alleluia!
He struck all the first-born in their land,
the finest flower of their sons.
He led out Israel with silver and gold.
In his tribes were none who fell behind.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
or
Alleluia!
For he remembered his holy word,
which he gave to Abraham his servant.
So he brought out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with shouts of rejoicing.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jm1:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 18:1-8 |
The parable of the unjust judge
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
SEEKING JUSTICE IN HIS TIME AND IN HIS WISDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9; Ps 105:2-3,36-37,42-43; Lk 18:1-8]
Justice is something owed to every human person. There are things we call “human rights,” even though we may not all agree on what these rights are. It is in our very nature that everyone seeks justice in life. When we feel that our rights are violated, our instinctive response is to demand justice. We seek justice not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones, and especially for those who are vulnerable in society. This was the case of the widow in the parable, who kept coming to the judge and demanding, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” In ancient times, the social position of widows was grouped together with that of orphans because they had no means of livelihood. Once their husband died, and if they were childless, all the husband’s property and assets would pass to his male relatives. Thus, widows were extremely vulnerable, and many were left without financial support.
Very often, the pursuit of redress for an injustice is not heard, or if it is taken up by the authorities, the outcome is considered unjust.On one hand, there is the frustration of those who seek justice. They often accuse the authorities of not listening to their complaints or resolving them appropriately. This could very well have been the situation in the Gospel, where the unjust judge refused to heed the widow’s cry. It is said that delays in pursuing justice are themselves a great injustice. On the other hand, we must also acknowledge the frustrations of those who hear such cases and then have their judgments rejected because either the plaintiffs or the accused consider the verdict unjust. Too often, no one is satisfied with how justice is carried out. At times, those who make judgments are misunderstood, slandered, or maligned for miscarrying justice, showing partiality, or being incompetent.
For this reason, the path to justice often takes a long time. Those of us who seek justice must therefore be patient. This is what the Lord is exhorting us to do. We know that some crimes take years to investigate, and equally long for the courts to try a case and pass judgment. It is a painful and laborious process of listening to everyone’s views, sorting out facts from presumptions, perceptions from objectivity, and truth from half-truths. We need the persevering and patient attitude of the widow in our pursuit of justice. If we seek quick justice, it may lead to a bungled or slipshod judgment. In the end, it was the widow’s perseverance and tenacious pursuit that won the day. Those who give up easily should not expect justice to be done, for justice is a process, and God works through human beings and through nature.
In the case of the unjust judge, the grace of God does not destroy human nature but perfects it. We read that the judge “had neither fear of God nor respect for man.” He was lazy and presumably jaded, like some of us in positions of authority. When we are constantly hearing complaints, we can become overwhelmed, indifferent, or desensitised. It becomes just another case, rather than a person who is hurting and deserving empathy, action, and redress. Yet in spite of human weakness, complacency, and fatigue, the Lord stretches us through the persistent pleas for justice. The judge finally said, after the widow’s relentless appeals: “I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me, I must give the widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.” God writes straight with crooked lines. Even if a judge is irresponsible or an authority fails to act, we do not have to take matters into our own hands. We need not resort to violence, as many do when they fight for justice.
Patience demands that we place our faith in God. This is the other theme of today’s Scripture readings. The Lord said, “You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now, will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night, even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” God will indeed see that justice is done and done speedily. But we must have faith. The real problem is that our measure of what ‘speedily’ means is very different from God’s. St. Peter wrote, “Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Pt 3:8-10). It is not that God is slow in meting out justice, but that His justice considers not only the victim but also the oppressor. God desires to save us all, good and bad alike. He “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).
In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, the author praises God for the wonders He did for the Hebrews in Egypt — setting them free from slavery, bringing them out of the land, drying up the sea so that they could cross dry-shod, protecting them from their enemies, shielding them from the sun by the pillar of cloud, and giving them light by the pillar of fire. But it took the Lord four hundred years to free the Hebrews from slavery, and another forty years of wandering in the desert before they had a land of their own. Even then, it took nearly two hundred more years before the Kingdom of Israel was fully established and the twelve tribes united under King David.
Deliverance takes time. Salvation is not achieved in a single day or even a single year. This is true for those who desire change in their lives or in the lives of their loved ones. Some are in deep depression and seem unable to emerge from their darkness. Some appear incorrigible. Many times, as caregivers, we feel like giving up hope. Those who struggle with depression, failure, addiction, or destructive habits also feel like giving up, condemning themselves as useless or beyond help. But giving up on them or on ourselves only harms us further. We must persevere in faith, be patient, and believe that God is unfolding His plan for us. He has His reasons for not intervening immediately. We must trust that He knows best and knows when to act. We must therefore wait patiently for His grace to take effect in our lives — whether in the life of the oppressor or the victim. One thing is certain: God will act, and when He does, He acts decisively.
So today, let us take courage if we feel that the Lord is not acting on our behalf or is not hearing our prayers. This is certainly not the case. God is infinitely greater than the unjust judge in the Gospel. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us all — saint and sinner alike. We are all important to Him. That is why He sent His only Son to share our pains and struggles. Jesus not only carried our infirmities but also our sins and their consequences in His own body. St. Peter wrote: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pt 2:21-24).
Instead, let us be encouraged by reflecting on the wonders of God at work in our lives. The psalmist says, “Tell all his wonderful works! He struck all the firstborn in their land, the finest flower of their sons. He led out Israel with silver and gold. For he remembered his holy word, which he gave to Abraham his servant. So he brought out his people with joy.” We, too, must share with one another through our testimonies — what God has done for us. Only when we hear of His gracious power in transforming and healing lives can our faith in Him grow.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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