Monsignor Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the  Gospel of this Sunday, October 19, 2025, entitled: “God will do justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him.”

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Exodus 17:8-13:  “As long as Moses held his hands high, he ruled over Israel.”

Psalm 120:  “Help comes to me from the Lord”

II Timothy 3:14-4:2: “The man of God will be perfect and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 Luke 18:1-8:  “God will render justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him.”

It’s common to hear someone ask for a prayer, like a magic wand, to solve a particular problem, and thus seemingly magical novenas, prayers, and formulas emerge, which are stubbornly repeated with the intention of achieving what they want. But that’s not prayer! “Prayer is the breath of faith, its most authentic expression. Like a silent cry that comes from the heart of one who believes and trusts in God.” Today, on World Mission Sunday, we can remember Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who was a wonderful and fruitful missionary. Despite always remaining within the monastery, she brought to life the secret of fruitfulness, that of prayer. She shared that: “The true apostles are the saints! And they are apostles, above all, because they pray!”  Patron saint of the missions, she understood the effectiveness of prayer from the age of fourteen. Listening to Saint Teresa and contemplating Moses in the first reading, if we believed in the efficacy of prayer, how much time we would spend on our knees! And the world would change direction!

If we think of prayer as a kind of sanctuary or oasis where we can renew our strength, where we find peace, where we can feel ourselves before God, we will discover that it is not something secondary or something we could do without. It is something vital. A great thinker defined prayer as the breath of the soul, such that it responds to an instinctive need, and only afterward can we ask why. But to pray, we need to be prepared, seek solitude and the necessary spaces, and feel ourselves in God’s presence. And not only in His presence, but also try to see with God’s eyes. When Jesus insists on the need for persevering prayer, it might seem to some to be stubborn and selfish, wanting God to act according to our desires. But if in prayer we seek to “adapt” our eyes and desires to God’s eyes and desires, it becomes a source of peace and serenity to face difficulties, to receive not so much what we desire, but what God, in His goodness, has prepared for us.

I am impressed by this story, where Jesus does not hesitate to saddle God with the image of an unjust judge who reluctantly and angrily accedes to a widow’s legitimate requests in order to highlight the need for constant and trusting prayer. No one is weaker or more alone in seeking justice than a widow: without family, without rights, without a voice, in the face of injustices suffered, in the face of the indifference of those who should do justice; but with a faith and persistence that manage to overcome the passivity of the perverse judge. This is a great lesson for each of us, not because the image of the unjust judge fits well with a God who is goodness and justice, but because the image of the weak and powerless widow fits perfectly with our situation in a land ravaged by injustice, where our cries for solutions are drowned in the blood of the innocent, in the corruption of institutions, and in the fear of all citizens. The temptation is great to retreat into our own security and, until misfortune strikes, let all the events that are undermining the hope and security of all Mexicans pass by.

Perhaps the parable reflects the situation of the early communities, eager for a second coming of Jesus Christ, but in constant danger of succumbing in a hostile environment. But it also reflects the current situation in our society, where injustice is palpable, striking especially the marginalized and innocent. The widow’s cry is the same cry that never ceases day and night, like the prayer of those oppressed by an unjust system and a senseless war. It is the desperate cry of the small and weak who feel powerless and lacking in self-confidence and who have no choice but to turn to God to resolve their conflicts. However, the widow’s attitude does not manifest conformism or indifference: her prayer is sustained by a faith and perseverance capable of overcoming the strongest obstacles.

Jesus, the man of constant prayer, teaches us the need to  pray always and without ceasing . For Him, as the firstborn Son, being in deep communication with His Father was the most natural thing. We, adopted children of the same Father through Christ, how we need to learn to live in a similar relationship! May the Holy Spirit help us achieve this. Then we will truly be children.

We live in a world of doubt and darkness, yet every day more people are discovering the value of prayer, in its three dimensions: private, communal, and liturgical. Prayer groups are proliferating everywhere, savoring the quiet meditation of the Word of God and speaking to Him with the spontaneity of children and friends. In many places, movements characterized by prayer, even through bodily expressions, are flourishing. They are a gift from the Holy Spirit to His Church, which we must appreciate and complement, so that their Christianity may be integral, without lacking the social dimension and commitment of faith. In all times and places, the poor are more open to religion, to prayer, pilgrimages, and acts of piety. In their poverty, they are convinced that the only one who never fails them is God, because human powers abandon them, promise them much and then little, deliver them, scorn them, and seek to manipulate them. God is their strength. Their only trust is in Him. The task is clear and demanding: We must pray, always and at all times!

Almighty and eternal God, grant us the willingness of spirit to place ourselves without reservation in your loving hands through prayer. Amen.