Volume 22 Issue 11 | October 2025 

Pray always without becoming weary

Lk 18:1 

The significance of widows in Luke’s Gospel

For about two decades now, we have been praying for a special favor, but God does not seem to hear our supplications. As we continue to endure, we have considered this as our “purgatory”: God’s way of cleansing us before calling us to his eternal kingdom. But like the persistent widow in our Gospel reflection, we continue to pray and seek the Blessed Mother’s intercession for God to finally grant our prayer.

The Gospel of Luke mentions the word “widow” nine times. During Jesus’ presentation at the temple, Anna is described as a widow who “never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37).

In his sermon at Nazareth, Jesus notes, “there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah” (Luke 4:25). In the same Old Testament story, Jesus notes that Elijah was sent not to an Israelite, but “to a woman who was a widow in Zarephath” (Lk 4:26). Jesus’ raising a widow’s son from the dead is described “a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow” (Luke 7:12).

In the Parable of the Persistent Widow, an unjust judge is approached by a widow who is described as “a widow in that town” (Luke 18:3). In the same parable, the unjust judge finally agrees to help “because this widow keeps bothering me” (Luke 18:5).

Jesus also condemns the scribes who “devour the houses of widows” (Luke 20:47). In the temple, Jesus sees a “poor widow putting in two small coins” (Lk 21:2). Reflecting on the poor widow, Jesus declares that “this poor widow put in more than all the rest” because she gave all she had (Lk 21:3). Luke 21:2 is popularly referred to as the Widow’s Mite while Luke 18:5 is referred to as the Widow’s Might.

Luke further mentions the word “widow” twice, in chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles, describing the scene after the death of Tabitha (Dorcas).

So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them (Acts 9:39).

He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive (Acts 9:41).

In contrast, the Gospel of Mark mentions the word “widow” only three times, the Gospel of Matthew only once, and the Gospel of John does not mention widows at all. Thus, we get a sense that widows are close to the heart of Luke, giving them special attention.

The Mosaic Law and the Unjust Judge

The Mosaic Law provides special protection and provision for widows, identifying them as a vulnerable group, forbidding their oppression and mandating proactive measures to ensure their well-being:

You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry (Ex 22:21-22).

Cursed be he who violates the rights of the alien, the orphan, or the widow (Dt 27:19).

According to Jewish law, disputes are to be handled by a court of at least three elders and not by a single judge. This is not the case in the parable. Jesus’ statement, “While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,” reveals that he could not have been a Jewish judge. He must have been a paid magistrate appointed by the Roman or Herodian authorities.

Persistence in Prayer as Jesus’ Teaching

A deeper reflection on the parable reveals that it flows smoothly from the context of chapter 17 and must not be treated separately from it. In this chapter, Jesus gives an early warning for the coming destruction of Jerusalem:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all (Luke 17:26-27).

Jesus is teaching that, just like the widow in the parable, the disciples will suffer great injustice. But just like the widow, they should remain persistent, “to pray always without becoming weary.” The parable of the persistent neighbor (Luke 11:5–10) gives a lesson similar to the parable of the persistent widow.

Both parables teach the importance of persistence in prayer, but the parable of the persistent widow adds the message of continued faithfulness in prayer. Jesus tells the story to his disciples to show them the importance of persistence, especially when they feel their prayers are going unanswered. It follows Jesus’s teaching on the end times, reminding believers to persevere in faith despite discouragement and injustice in the world.

The primary lesson of the parable is the power of persistent prayer. The parable contrasts the indifferent judge with a loving and compassionate God. While the judge acts out of exasperation, God responds in his own perfect time.

The parable uses a “how much more” argument. If a callous judge can be swayed by persistence, how much more will a caring God answer our prayers if we persevere? The parable heartens us to be persistent in our requests to God, confident that if an unjust judge can eventually yield to a persistent widow, God will certainly grant our persistent prayers.

For this very reason, we have persevered for almost two decades now praying for one dear to us.

Faith, Endurance, and the Call to Action

Persistent prayer is a reflection of an active faith and trust in God’s providence, rather than just the presence of faith. The true lesson of the parable is not that we are capable of manipulating God or that we have power in our persuasiveness, but that our confidence in prayer lies in who God is.

He is a God who loves to hear from us. He is a God who is not bothered by our repeated requests. Unlike the annoyed judge who gave in to the widow’s request just to be left alone, our God loves our constant presence. The unjust judge acted for his own benefit, not out of care for the widow.

In contrast, God’s motivation is his unfailing love for us. God will respond to our prayer in his perfect timing. Even when answers to our prayer seem delayed, this is not a sign of God’s denial or indifference. The parable encourages faith and endurance, trusting that God is working, even when we cannot feel or see it.

Jesus concludes the parable with a probing question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This question brings a new and different aspect of the parable. It poses a daunting challenge for all of us in the light of current events. It tells us that we can no longer tolerate widespread corruption, unrestrained greed, ostentatious display of unrighteous wealth, and brazen brattiness.

We must act, we must protest, recognizing that our most powerful weapon against all these abuses is to pray—to pray always without getting weary.