Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9 / Luke 18:1-8
There can be a few descriptions about the attitude of prayer - persistence; perseverance; pleading; begging; imploring; beseeching; just to name a few.
In the gospel parable about the unjust judge and the widow who was demanding justice, the judge used the word "pestering" to describe her.
Surely the widow has persistence and perseverance and these are good attitudes to have when we are praying for something or for someone.
But we would hesitate to say we will pester God in our prayer, as it would sound rather rude and crude.
But just as a persisting pain pesters us to seek medical attention, a persisting prayer must also "pester" us enough to keep seeking God's attention to our need.
So a persisting and persevering prayer is not to pester God but rather to pester us to keep at the prayer and to wait confidently and courageously for God's answer.
And the more desperate the need, the more we will be pestered to keep at the prayer.
And God will answer. As the 1st reading puts it: When peaceful silence lay over all, and night had run the half of her swift course, down from the heavens, from the royal throne, leapt your all-powerful Word; into the heart of a doomed land the stern warrior leapt.
Yes, God will answer our prayer in His time and in His way. And God will also answer our prayer just when we least expect it and when our faith is about to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
But like the widow in the gospel parable, we have to persist and persevere, as well as pester ourselves to keep praying and to keep faith in God