The Sunday Of The Judge

The fourth Sunday of Lent is known as the Sunday of the Judge, which reminds us of the importance of prayer and of the virtues of humility, fear of God, justice and protection of the weak.  The Parables of the Widow and the Judge, and the Pharisee and the Tax Collector illustrate the results of the proper practice and importance of persistent prayer with a humble heart.

In the former parable, Christians, like the widow, should not give up praying to God even when facing indifference and powerful opposition. If a helpless widow wins her case by persistent pleading before a callous judge, how much will God’s children find quick justice before a loving and righteous Father? After encouraging the disciples to be persistent in prayer, in the latter parable, Jesus teaches them how to pray. This parable sharply contrasts the prayer of a Pharisee with that of a tax collector. Jesus commended the tax collector for his humble, contrite and justified prayer to God and contrasted that with the hypocrisy of the Pharisee’s sense of self-righteousness.