14 November 2026 · Latin Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malankara Rite · Syro-Malabar Rite · മലയാളം
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” Luke 18:1
Luke tells us the point before the parable: we need “to pray always and not to lose heart”. A widow, the most powerless person in that society, keeps coming to an unjust judge until he gives in just to be rid of her. If even such a judge yields to persistence, how much more will God, who is not unjust but a loving Father, “grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night”? Then the haunting question: “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The Third Letter of John praises Gaius for welcoming travelling missionaries, “even though they are strangers to you”. By supporting them, he says, “we may become co-workers with the truth”. Persistent prayer and generous hospitality go together: those who pray for the Kingdom also open their homes and purses to those who spread it.
Theme: “Do not lose heart.”
Persistent prayer, trust in a just Father, and generosity to those who spread the Gospel.
“Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set.” Exodus 17:11–12
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” Luke 18:1
Apply: Take up again a prayer you abandoned.
“The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal.” Sirach 35:21
“And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:7–8
Apply: Pray today for someone suffering injustice.
“He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.”” Genesis 18:3
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
Apply: Give to the missions this week.
Keep praying; God is listening.
Let him find faith in us.
Take-home resolution: Choose one intention and pray for it daily until Advent.
Dear friends, Luke tells us the point before the parable: we need to pray always and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1). A widow, the most powerless person in that society, keeps coming to an unjust judge until he gives her justice just to be rid of her.
If even such a judge gives in to persistence, how much more will God, who is not unjust but a loving Father, grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night (Luke 18:7)? God is not reluctant. But persistent prayer changes us: it keeps our hope alive and our hearts turned to him.
Then Jesus asks a haunting question: when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth (Luke 18:8)? Faith is not only believing once; it is continuing to pray when the answer is slow. St John, in his third letter, praises Gaius for supporting the missionaries and so becoming a co-worker with the truth (3 John 8).
Choose one intention today, for a person, a healing, a reconciliation, and pray for it every day until Advent begins. Do not lose heart. The Father hears. Amen.
Children, the widow kept asking and never gave up. Choose one person to pray for every day this month, and keep going!
Lord, teach me to pray always and not to lose heart. Strengthen my faith while I wait for your answer, and make me a co-worker with the truth, generous to those who proclaim your Gospel. Amen.
The Elder praises Gaius for welcoming travelling missionaries, so that “we may become co-workers with the truth”. Jesus tells the parable of a widow who keeps asking a judge for justice, to teach his disciples “to pray always and not to lose heart”. Hospitality and prayer are both ways of persevering.
Setting.
The third letter of John is a personal note from “the elder” to Gaius. Travelling preachers moved from Church to Church and depended on local Christians for food and lodging. Gaius had welcomed them; a leader called Diotrephes had refused them (vv. 9–10).
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you” (1:5)
“Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth.” (1:8)
How the Church reads it.
The early Church organised such hospitality carefully; the Didache, an early Christian handbook, gives rules for receiving travelling apostles and prophets (in substance). Today the same work goes on when parishes support missionaries, seminarians and those who preach the Gospel far from home.
Setting.
This parable follows Jesus’ words about the day of the Son of Man (17:22–37). While the disciples wait for his coming, they must pray. Luke states the point at the start: “their need to pray always and not to lose heart”.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” (18:1)
“And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (18:8)
The parable ends with a question for us. The danger is not that God will fail to answer, but that we will stop asking.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism names this among the parables of prayer that Luke records, together with the friend at midnight and the Pharisee and the tax collector (CCC 2613). It also teaches that we are to “pray constantly” (CCC 2742), because prayer is the life of the new heart (CCC 2697).
Is God like the unjust judge?
No. The parable argues from the lesser to the greater. If even an unjust judge gives way to persistence, how much more will a loving Father hear his children.