I wouldn’t say my mom is a coupon queen exactly. I have seen coupon queens, and they don’t mess around. They carry around their coupons in alphabetical order and keep them secure in a little zippered pouch. My mom is probably a grade below that. She probably falls in the category of “I have a coupon, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

No isn’t an option when the coupon hasn’t expired and still meets the criteria outlined in the tiny fine print. When the coupon isn’t valid, my mom patiently waits for the manager. She isn’t upset, heated, or indignant; she simply wants to use her coupon or hear the reasons why she isn’t able to use the discounted piece of paper that she received in the mail. My mom’s persistence usually pays off, and it reminds me how I need to persist in all things and in all ways.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus doesn’t grant our prayer requests out of annoyance toward us or move on to someone who has a more worthy prayer request. God fathers us well, unlike the judge who doesn’t have paternal care over any human being (Luke 18:4). The judge desires to be free of the widow bothering him, and that is his only motivation for helping her (Luke 18:5).

God is the exact opposite of the judge. He is concerned with every fiber of our being and doesn’t put us off because we are nagging Him too much.

My mom has been a widow for fifteen years now. The perseverance she has in using her coupons is applied to her prayer life as well. We know that if we are able to persevere and be persistent in worldly things, we can employ those same methods in prayer.

Sister, do we tire of knocking when Jesus isn't opening the door to our request right away or do we persist like the widow in today’s readings? Think about where you need to persist today.

[bctt tweet="He is concerned with every fiber of our being. // Mytae Carrasco Wallace" username="blessedisshe__"]

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