October 16, 2016

Dear Parish Family,

In today’s Gospel of Saint Luke, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a widow who pleaded several times with a judge for a just decision against her adversary. The evangelist tells us that this judge did not show any fear for God nor did he show respect for mankind. He ended up, nonetheless, granting a judgment in favor of the widow because of her persistence.

​There is a lesson to be learned in this parable. Success in life consists of having convictions and being persistent in pursuing these convictions. The widow in the parable never wavered about a just judgement in her favor. The judge, as indifferent as he was in the beginning, ended up granting her what she fought for. I think about my journey towards the priesthood. It took me ten years. Those ten years were not easy. They came with many doubts and challenges. Despite all of that, I always kept my goal in sight. Endurance brought me to the day of my ordination.

Persistence in prayer is as important as everything else in life. We ask the Holy Spirit for the cardinal virtue of fortitude. This virtue gives us the template to be firm during times of difficulty and constant in pursuing the good. Often times we are tempted to give up our efforts in preaching the gospel of life. We become impatient because we do not see the fruits of our efforts right away. The parable of the widow and the judge provides us with a simple and yet important lesson: if your fight is for a good cause, keep fighting for it; do not waver on your conviction to promote and protect human life.

God bless you all.
Father Lopez