Daily Gospel Reflection for November 12, 2016 - St. Josaphat

Today's Gospel: Luke 18, 1-8 - St. Josaphat

Fifteen years ago, my husband and I received news that no parent ever wants to hear. Our oldest child was diagnosed with autism. We were told, point blank, that he would likely never live on his own, never hold a job, marry, or even learn to speak. So we started to pray, in earnest, for our son to be cured.

Our son is now 18 and the doctor’s predictions seem to be coming true. He still has a great deal of difficulty communicating and I am doubtful that he will ever live independently. Why? Did we not pray hard enough? Were we not as persistent as the widow in today’s gospel?

God’s answers to our prayers aren’t always clear to us. Sometimes, it seems like our pleas are falling on deaf ears. But it’s important to remember that, unlike the judge in today’s gospel, God cares about ALL of us. He won’t spare us from the hard because He wants us to receive the better. Jesus Himself prayed to be spared the suffering of the cross. Yet, He wasn’t. And because He wasn’t, Jesus defeated death and mankind was saved from eternal damnation.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Because God’s will is what will save us all.

Ponder:

How has God answered my prayers? Is it in a way that I had wanted or expected? Or has He answered to what I needed instead?

Pray:

Lord, You know what I need even more than I do. If it is Your will, please answer my prayer.

Copyright 2016 Susan Aurbo-Charabin

Susan Aurbo-Charabin is a mom to five and a wife to one living in the heart of the Canadian prairie. A cradle Catholic and Catholic revert, she shares about her life navigating the worlds of autism, parenting and cold winters at her blog Tending the Burrow.