Gospel for October 19 2025 – Luke 18:1-8
Gospel Reflections for October 19 2025
Perseverance
Perseverance is a good thing and highly praised in today’s Gospel. I see it here as well.
Remember when firefighters had to battle ferocious fires in the Palisades and Altadena, yet they never gave up, and stayed on the fire line saving lives and protecting homes with tremendous courage and bravery. They persevered!
This Gospel has the same theme. It was written when pilgrims would travel by foot for thousands of miles on a spiritual journey to Jerusalem to see the places where Jesus walked.
They knew that if they could just get to that final destination, their lives would be greatly changed. But travel then was hard. They needed to cross rivers, climb mountains, fight bandits, and endure fierce weather. Yet, they persevered!
Finally, they would arrive in the Holy Land, and discover they had already changed! The journey itself had made them into different and much better persons they were now; stronger, more disciplined, and more courageous.
Their perseverance taught them to rejoice in success and learn from any failure. (After all, it is success if you make any mistake only once!)
The journey itself can make a difference. In the amusing parable of the persistent woman and the judge, Jesus invites you to persevere in prayer. Just even starting a prayer puts things in the right perspective. It tells you that you are not entirely in control and that there is a God above you who sees the larger and better picture of your future.
Praying helps you know your needs more clearly because you have to choose words to make them intelligible to Our Lord. Speaking your needs makes them clearer to yourself as well. You might just find that at the end of your prayer you are already changed for the better, even before you might receive the goal of your prayer request.
If even the most unjust of judges in today’s Gospel will finally relent to ceaseless petitions of a widow, then how much more will God — who is, after all, a good judge — answer your prayers, and always in the manner that is the very best for your salvation.
While I pray that you receive the actual goal of your prayer, keep praying no matter how long it takes. You may find, like the pilgrims of centuries ago, that you like the changes the journey of prayer itself brings.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Dear Father Dave,
Your reflection touches a deep cord in my life on so many levels of prayer with prayers heard and answered.
Thank you and God bless.
Kathleen
You are very welcome!
I still have never received the bike I asked for when I was a child!!!
Hilarious!! Oh well!
Thank you Father, very inspirational, especially when reminded about the Pilgrims walking thousands of miles just to see and be where Christ had walked. That puts everything in perspective, for me anyway. “This world is a ship and not our home. We are all on a journey”
Thank You,
Well said!
I find prayer transmits. Me into another place of solitude and peace which is not available in other pursuits. A Closer Relationship with Jesus and a calm assurance that all is well with my reliance on his love.
Many nights if I have trouble going to sleep, I start saying a Rosary and it sets my mind, body and soul at rest and able to sleep.
Awakening in the morning I finish the decades I’ve missed and spring forth into a new and exciting Day. Prayer is wonderful.
Great nighttime rosary practice!
Love your insightful, loving words!! I feel my life is a prayer!!! I’m always asking in loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! In the evening I I have been thanking our loving God, our precious Jesus, our beautiful Blessed Mother for all the blessings in my lifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!Life is such a miracle, our Faith is such a miracle. to live our Jesus’ loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is such a miracle!!!We all our miraculously Blessed!!!Loveeeeeeee our precious faith, love our loving family, loveeeeeeeeee our precious Friends!!! We all are living a miracle of love and we must make the world beautiful in Jesus’ loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, franca
Thank you!