SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTION
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 18:1-8 | October 16, 2022
Our Unjust God
JM Nuqui – Campus and Youth Minister
I remember talking to a friend on the night of the elections. As a PPCRV volunteer, she was up as early as four in the morning and continues being a poll watcher until eight in the evening. As the results came in, she found herself staring from afar, struck with disbelief. Tired from all the running and standing the whole day, plus all the frustrations and disappointments, she approached me and asked, “Nagkulang ba ako sa panalangin? Hindi ba tayo pinapakinggan ng Diyos?”
My dear brothers and sisters, we know too well that there are things we ask for in prayer that God doesn’t grant no matter how persistently we ask. I’ll be honest with you. Dahil sa dami ng mga panalangin na sa tingin ko ay hindi pinakinggan ng Diyos, dumating sa punto na ang tamad ko nang magdasal. Kaya minsan, nahihiya at natatakot akong sabihin sa mga kaibigan ko na, “Sige lang. Magdasal lang kayo at papakinggan kayo ng Diyos” — when I myself tend to lose heart and faith in Him.
From our prayer experiences, especially from those which we feel go unanswered, we ask: Is our God really just? Does God actually grant us what we deserve? My dear friends, I’m sorry to disappoint, but the answer is no. Traditional wisdom tells us that if we do good, we are rewarded; if we do bad, we are punished. Kaya pinipilit natin na maging mabuti palagi para tayo ay biyayaan ng Diyos. And we also hear the contrary from other people. “Kaya hindi sinasagot ng Diyos mga panalangin mo kasi gumagawa ka ng masama.” But my dear friends, I invite you to reflect on the image of our unjust God — yes, unjust, but not in the same way as the unjust judge in today’s Gospel.
Because of the recurring infidelity of the Israelites to Yahweh in the Old Testament, we can say that they deserve punishment and abandonment, but God gave them the Ten Commandments and promised land. After denying Jesus, Peter deserved to be “unfriended” and removed from the list of the apostles; yet the resurrected Jesus greeted and granted him peace. With all our sins and turning away from God, we feel undeserving of all the blessings God constantly gives us. Our God is unjust because he doesn’t grant us what we deserve — thank God! Even if we do not deserve His grace and mercy, He freely, willingly, and lovingly gives it to us anyway.
At siguro ito ang dahilan kung bakit tayo ay nagpupursigi sa ating mga panalangin at pananampalataya. We even encounter people along the way and realize, that those who pray persistently yet do not necessarily get what they ask for, are the ones who never seem to give up and falter in their faith and prayer. We remember my friend-volunteer at the PPCRV who continues to pray for our government leaders and country despite hurt and frustrations; the mother who relentlessly prays for healing of her son’s cancer despite no signs of progress; the fish ball and squid ball vendors who are still praying for a better life for their family, but yet to see any of that happening. All of them inspire us to believe that persistence in prayer leads us not necessarily to the place where we find God answering our prayers — but rather to a place of silence, trusting, hope-filled, and loving-surrender to God.
Because deep in our hearts, deep within us, is our desperate longing for God Himself — in whatever form, way, or shape God could give Himself to us — yes, even through the silence of desperate, aching need. At ito ang nasa likod ng panalangin natin sa tuwing tayo ay may matinding pangangailangan: Panginoon, kahit ano pong mangyari, huwag niyo po kaming papabayaan. Panginoon, kahit ano pong mangyari, maawa po kayo sa amin. It’s always a longing for our merciful and ever-loving God. God is unjust — not like the unjust judge who needs to be pestered and worn out — because He continuously grants us much more than we deserve.
