29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 19, 2025
What is prayer for? What does perseverance in prayer mean to me?
Luke 18; 1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
REFLECTIONS ON LUKE 18 FROM THE IRISH JESUITS
How does Jesus’; parable about how ready God is to answer our prayers move me? Does it confirm my own
experience, or not? Do I sometimes feel like the widow during the long period where she’s not getting an answer?
In this story Jesus piles up the odds against the widow. She is a woman in a male-dominated society, therefore at a disadvantage. More than that, she has no husband to back her. More than that, the judge is unjust and notoriously ruthless. But she gets a hearing by making a nuisance of herself.
Jesus tells us to do the same with God, who wants to be good to us. Pray always and do not lose heart. God’s answer may be as hard to fathom as his answer to Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemini: Let this chalice pass from me – but your will be done.
Can I hold my own experience and listen again to Jesus’ sure statement of God’s eagerness to be good to me? I might need to ask for more light on this.
Is there maybe a twinkle in Jesus’; eye as he compares God to an unjust and lazy judge?
Lord, you puzzle me. I hear you telling me to persist in prayer, to entreat God until he is weary of me. You say he will quickly grant justice. But then I think of good people suffering famine, Aids, loss of children, sickness and death though they pray to God. I think of the Jews in Auschwitz, still singing the psalms as they walked into the gas chambers. Surely there are times when you delay in helping us?
At times like this I turn to the memory of your Passion, and your agonised prayer in the Garden. You have faced a dark and apparently empty heaven, yet stayed faithful. Keep me with you.
The judge was meant to look after the widow and the orphan - this was part of his role in the society of Jesus’; time. It might be said that the woman had a right to pester and bother him. Jesus almost says that we should bother and pester God in prayer. It is never too often to ask God for something. Prayer can be answered through persistence. In all our times of praying for something we can learn something about ourselves and also grow in closeness with and trust in God.
Jesus saw that people in his time needed encouragement in their prayer so he encouraged them. I think of him wanting to encourage me now, realising that he knows how I feel.
I look at my life and situations, wondering how I might help others not to lose heart. My words, deeds and attitudes can do for others what Jesus wanted for the people he met.
I am so impatient sometimes and feel that God has not heard our prayers when they are not answered immediately. We live in a world of instant gratification, instant coffee, instant contact, and a touch of a button, and we can be anywhere in the world! But Jesus in today’s gospel, is asking us to be patient, ‘pray always and do not lose heart.’ Our prayers will be answered, maybe not in the way we are expecting, but answered in the way that is beneficial to us.
Saint Luke shows that Jesus prayed consistently during his public life and his Passion. We are Jesus’ disciples, and he needs us to be people of prayer also. Prayer is like a magnet that keeps us close to God. If we let the magnet go, we drift away from God. Keep us faithful in prayer Lord, for you will never be outdone in generosity.
Today is a lucky day. We hear Jesus teaching the disciples about prayer. We need to pray always and to never lose heart. These two things go together. Perhaps they are even two sides of the same coin. The parable that Jesus chooses to emphasise his teaching is also unusual.
The hero is a heroine. The widow keeps coming back to the judge in her search for justice. She will never give up. She just keeps on asking for what she needs. In the end, the judge responds just to get rid of her. Obviously God does not want to get rid of us, nor does God tire listening to our prayers. This teaching on prayer is full of hope even in situations when God may delay the response to our petition.
Ask and you shall receive’? I reflect on my life and what has been my experience of asking God for what I want and what I need.
For my part, how aware am I of God always being predisposed to loving and caring for me? I pray that this attitude of being loved and cared for is always present in my heart when I ask for what I want or need.
I think about the difficulties I might be facing at this time. Have I lost hope that God will hear me? Can I bring them to God now, knowing that he is attentive to what I have to share? Do I feel I can trust him?
In Jesus’ time, a widow had no support unless she had adult sons to help her. Here the widow goes directly to the judge. The judge, and unpleasant character, ignores her for a long time but she persists in her pursuit for justice and he finally gives in. The parable is an invitation to us to persist in prayer especially in times of difficulties. We however, approach a loving Father, ready to listen to us and we are invited to come with calm assurance. Jesus tells us not to give up or lose heart.
Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge. The parable should be read in the context of an earlier comment by Jesus: ‘If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ (Lk 11:13). So, if even the most unjust of judges will finally concede to the ceaseless petitions of a defenceless widow, then how much more will God answer our prayers!
The parable offers hope to those among us who are perhaps reluctant to address God with our petitions. It is both an invitation and encouragement to pray without ceasing, confident of God’s desire to respond.
Jesus tells us we ‘need to pray continually and never lose heart’. The simple parable has a clear message: Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge, but saying that if perseverance obtains justice from an unjust judge, how much more from a good and loving father?
The need never to lose heart: this is certainly one of the bigger challenges for our faith. Persevering in prayer teaches me that God does not need to be informed of my needs. It is rather I who will notice I am learning to trust God more, as I become more open to whatever he asks of me and my loved ones, for he wants nothing but what is good for me. I thank God for his loving care, and ask for the gift of persevering prayer.
Jesus gently reminds us of the need to pray and not lose heart. He knows we need to hear these words from time to time as we ask ourselves whether prayer does make a difference at all. I ask for the grace to hear Jesus encouraging me in my efforts to pray always, helping me not to lose heart.
The judge finally acts and delivers justice not because he cares about the woman but because he selfishly understands that this is the only way to get rid of her. God is totally different, full of mercy and compassion. I know that prayers are answered, even if not always the way I had imagined. I recall God’s faithfulness in my own life, and thank him for it.
Jesus is confident in God’s vindication of those in need; I join him in praying for the resolution of unjust situations and consider how my efforts might be of help.
The persistence of my prayer speaks of the depth of my need. Even if I find that my prayer always has something for which I always ask, I take time to see how God may already be offering me some answer.
This story reminds us that for many people who have been wronged, great persistence is needed to try and ensure one’s rights.
From this story about the widow, Jesus tells us not be to see God in the same light as that of the judge. Although, God may not answer your prayers exactly and as quickly as you would like, he tells us to persevere in our requests.
Our prayers then become an exercise in pure faith. But our prayer is a conversation with a very close friend who knows best what we need and frequently answers us in a surprising way.
From our continual prayer our special friendship with Jesus develops into the best gift we could ever have - friendship with him.
Do I find it easy to persist in praying for what I need? I might be surprised to discover that prolonged prayer opens my heart even more to God’s provident care in my life, so that I find myself growing in trust.
“Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night;” I join those crying for justice, bringing to my prayer some situation of deep seated conflict or injustice I know well.
In telling this parable Jesus recognises our need for encouragement in prayer, especially in coping with disappointment. The interaction between the judge and the widow is vivid, psychologically believable, and there is an underlying humour. If even a despicable human being like the judge can be badgered into acting justly, how much more readily will the all-loving, ever-generous God respond to our needs when we present them to him?
The concluding verse is indicating that persistence in prayer is impossible without faith.
Lord, you puzzle me. I hear you telling me to persist in prayer, to entreat God until he is weary of me. You say he will quickly grant justice. But then I think of good people suffering famine, Aids, loss of children, sickness and death though they pray to God. I think of the Jews in Auschwitz, still singing the psalms as they walked into the gas chambers. Surely there are times when you delay in helping us? At times like this I turn to the memory of your Passion, and your agonised prayer in the Garden. You have faced a dark and apparently empty heaven, yet stayed faithful. Keep me with you.
Our persistence in prayer does not change God’s mind. Instead it prepares our own heart by strengthening our desire for God!
Jesus wishes us to pray always and not lose heart. Help me to be constant, Lord. Renew my failing confidence when your answer is “Wait....wait...wait a little longer.”
The model for our prayer has to be the widow in Jesus’ parable. Her persistence does not falter. In prayer I can present my true self to God. God knows the real me anyway, and is a God of justice. Do I really believe this? Do I pray and work for justice in the situations around me?
Lord, you are my refuge. Strengthen my persistence when I lose heart. Grant me the wisdom to know that when I come to you in trust and confidence you will respond.
We can be so impatient sometimes and feel that God has not heard our prayers when they are not answered immediately. We live in a world of instant gratification, instant coffee, instant contact, a touch of a button on our computer and we can be anywhere in the world! But Jesus in today’s gospel is asking us to be patient, ‘pray always and do not lose heart’ Our prayers will be answered, maybe not in the way we are expecting, but answered in the way that is beneficial to us.
Jesus, teach us to trust you and not lose heart when we call on you in prayer. The prayer of intercession will never go unanswered, but our ways are not your ways and our thoughts not your thoughts. Keep us faithful in prayer Lord, for you will never be outdone in generosity.
Saint Luke shows that Jesus prayed consistently during his public life and his Passion. I am Jesus’ disciple, and he needs me to be a person of prayer also. Prayer is like a magnet that keeps us close to God. If I let the magnet go, I drift away from God.
I pray: ‘Jesus, when you search my heart, do you find any faith inside it? Stretch my small heart so that I may take the risk of entrusting myself more to you.’
Thank you, Lord, that, unlike that desperate widow, I live in a regime where judges cannot be bought, and where injustices can be aired in the media. In some ways we have made society a better place. But I need your words about perseverance in prayer. There have been times when I belaboured God and nearly lost heart at the silence of heaven. Teach me to recognise you in your silence as well as your words.
PREPARATION FOR THE SESSION
Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025
Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)
Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)
Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, keep me close to you in prayer. Help me to understand that you want to be with the “real” me—to hear my concerns and worries, my fears and joys. Help me to be generous in my prayers and in my actions toward those often forgotten in our present day: hungry or homeless children, poor elderly or disabled people, those who have run out of hope for one reason or another. Give me the clarity to see what is around me and give me the courage and energy to work for their betterment. Help me to be generous with my time, talent, and my treasure on behalf of those who are voiceless and have nowhere to turn.
COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY:
From “First Impressions, 2025”
We need to be wary of today’s parable of the widow and the unjust judge, lest we convey a false image of God. (Remember the command, “Thou shall not have strange gods before me.”) Well, if we are not careful, we are liable to imagine a “strange god” and even seem to make what we say sound legitimate or backed up by this parable. The trap lies in our modern tendency to be too literal. By that I mean, we tend to miss the imaginative aspects of these parables and apply a strict formula to them in our interpretation. It goes something like this: the judge is God Keep at it, God will eventually give in -- isn’t that what the parable seems to imply? This, or similar ways of interpreting parables, treats them as allegories -- not parables. Look what such an interpretation does to our faith: it paints God as hard hearted and our constant prayer like water dripping on the stone heart of a reluctant God, hoping to eventually wear God down on our behalf. Remember too that the judge in the parable is unjust -- making it even more dangerous to allegorize this parable, lest God take on the features of this judge in our imaginations. If God gets so misrepresented then we, who are praying earnestly and even desperately for something, are made to feel doubly alone, with no one on our side against the Almighty and seeming-reluctant God. If this is what we infer from this parable, no matter how unintentionally, then we will have created a “strange god” indeed! Certainly not the God of Jesus’ words and actions. This false image will only reinforce an old stereotype of a God so offended by our sin, that God would punish us severely, were it not for Jesus, God’s beloved child who, by his faithfulness and sacrifice, stays God’s angry hand. This makes God sound schizophrenic -- partially with us in Jesus, but ill-disposed as our Creator -- with the Holy Spirit going back and forth between us humans and the two trying to tie up the loose ends. Even if we didn’t have the citation telling us that this is a parable from Luke’s gospel, we could easily guess its authorship. The parable has the signs of a Lucan tale, for again, we hear his often-repeated themes about the poor, women and prayer. Widows were especially vulnerable in biblical times and in the scriptures we often hear the reference to “widows and orphans” -- two particularly defenseless and needy groups. A widow would be dependent on her sons, or a close male relative to take care of her. She was especially vulnerable if the responsible males were indifferent to her welfare, or worse, had defrauded her. In such situations a widow would have recourse to a judge who was supposed to protect the rights of widows and the poor. But the judge to whom our widow turns has no regard for her plight and “neither feared God nor respected any human being.” What chance would she have against a judge like this who disregards the basic commandments about God and neighbor? The cards are stacked against her and things look pretty grim for her ever getting her due. But this is no ordinary widow! She confronts the judge using the only things she has on her side -- her voice and her persistence. What she wants is justice, but from a judge who is not in the least bit interested in giving it to her. The only recourse she would normally have had is not in the least bit interested in her just cause. But by her persistence she wears down the judge who finally gives in to her. Don’t you find it amusing to hear the judge’s fear that a widow is going to come and “strike” him? The original language suggests that he is afraid she will give him a black eye. I hear Jesus’ listeners, so often denied their own rights before the rich and powerful, chuckling as Jesus paints this picture of a “dangerous” widow who will give a good boxing to a corrupt male judge. This is one of those “how-much-more parables.” Jesus paints a picture of a despicable judge who eventually gives in to the persistent demands of the widow. It is as if he is saying, “If this kind of a person eventually responds, how much more will God?” Why? Because God is not turned against us and will “secure the rights” of God’s chosen. Of course, our struggle lies in the fact that so much in our world is unjust, especially for the disenfranchised. We pray for things to be put right and even pray that we can help make them so. Yet often, conditions don’t improve, sometimes they even get worse. Doesn’t that make you want to despair of ever seeing things righted? So, we are tempted to cease our works and quite our prayers. “What’s the use?”, we lament. Even when things improve a bit there still is an enormous mountain of wrongs to address -- in our homes, church, community and world. We feel our efforts are so puny and so we are tempted to withdraw back into our private world saying, “What difference can Imake?” Such feelings tempt us to quit our efforts at prayer and works on behalf of God’s reign. Jesus expresses how serious the issues are, how powerful the forces against us are and seems to worry about the effects on his disciples. He asks, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Not an idle, or speculative question, but one that is based on the experiences of the church from its beginnings: disciples have hard work and prayer to do until the Lord returns and the wait, without immediate signs of “success,” can disillusion us and threaten our faith. If we are looking for an image of the divine in this parable and don’t find it in the judge, is there another possibility? Here is another approach by the New Testament scholar Barbara Reid. (Parables for Preachers: The Gospel of Luke, Year C. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2000.) She suggests finding the God-like figure in the widow who persistently pursues injustice, denouncing it until justice is achieved. This interpretation is consistent with the New Testament message that power is found in weakness. A conclusion we would draw for ourselves then is that if this is the God in whose image we are made, then we too should tirelessly pursue justice even if it is against more powerful forces than we can muster. I like the first reading’s image for prayer. As powerful and exemplary a model of faith Moses was during hard times, nevertheless, as the battle against Amalek wears on, Moses’ raised hands “grew tired.” We can identify with that fatigue, we who find it hard to keep our hands raised in prayer as life tries to wear us down. Even Moses needed help. So, Aaron and Hur support his hands, “one on one side and one on the other, so his hands remained steady till sunset.” We all need help in our struggles against evil forces and in our desire to stay faithful in hard times. Look around at those who worship with us at this Eucharist. We see the elderly, even infirmed, here -- still praying. We know of those who can’t get out of bed to come to church, but we also know they are praying and staying faithful. They give strength and determination to our faltering prayer, they help keep our hands “raised.” Perhaps someone notices us here at worship. We don’t think of ourselves as great models of faith, but who knows what straggling soul at prayer is helped by seeing us here? We may be helping them keep their faltering and tired hands “raised” in hope and prayer.
LIVING THE GOOD NEWS:
What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:
Reflection Questions:
When we pray, are we real and honest with God, or do we put on our party manners and only murmur pleasantries to God? Do we say only “canned” prayers that we have learned as children? When are they helpful? When are they not enough?
Prayer is talking with something or anything with which we seek union, even if we are bitter, insane, or broken. Says Anne Lamottto get it together when we show up in such miserable shape. She goes on to say “My belief is when you are telling the truth, you’re close to God. If you say to God, “I am exhausted and depressed beyond words, and I don’t like you at all right now;”….that might be the most honest thing you’ve ever said. Do you agree with her? Is that scary? Blasphemous?
Do we ever think that what we are concerned about or need is too petty for God’s attention? What does that say to us about God’s love--that God only cares about world catastrophes, but doesn't give a fig about our miserable little sorrows, burdens and worries?
Something to be said for keeping prayers simple. What is your idea of simple prayer? Is simply praying “I need help with this, my friend” a good place to start? Can we pray by asking “Is anyone there? Is anyone listening?”
Do I pray for things around me to be changed to fit my plans/hopes, or do I pray to be changed myself--say, in order to cope with what I encounter and make me a better person for it?
“Three things I cannot change: the past, the truth, and someone else." (adapted from Anne Lamott) How many times have I pleaded with God to change or alter one of those realities? How did that work out? When I realized that what I was actually praying for was an impossibility, did I hit the re-set button?
Do I ever pray for God to do something for me? (I do, a little….well, maybe a lot!) Do I ever pray for miracles? How do I feel if they do not happen? How do I feel if they do happen?
What happens when my prayer is not answered, or not answered in the way I want? Do I get angry at God? Do I give up? What do I think Jesus would encourage me to do based on this parable?
Do I ever try to manipulate God? Say, by overstating my case, or by promising to give up something I really like? Why might I think that punishing myself would make God happy and more inclined to listen to me?
What do you find admirable about this powerless widow?
The widow’s plight calls to mind those who are deprived of justice in our own society. What is our obligation in social justice to speak up and advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them?
Do we rely on God alone to render justice, or do we have a role to play in condemning hatred, killing, abuse of the poor and the down trodden, and other evils?
Have I ever read any of the Church’s documents on Social Teaching? Here are some of their blockbuster titles:
Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor) 1891, Pope Leo XIII
Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) 1961, Pope John XXIII
Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) 1963, Pope John XXIII
Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) 1967, Pope Paul VI
Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) 1981, Pope John Paul II
Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home 2015, Pope Francis
Have I read the latest exhortation from Pope Leo (Dilexi Te)?
How much of my religious attention is spent on personal holiness and being a better person? How much of my religious attention is spent on Social justice issues and making the world a better place? Is one more important than the other?
How much of my prayer life is devoted to concern for others, particularly those who are marginalized, how much is devoted to concern for the earth?
CLOSING PRAYER
O Lord, three terrible truths of existence are: we are so ruined, and so loved, and in charge of so little. Help me to understand that this revelation leads me to honest prayer. Keep me honest. Keep me faithful. Keep me hopeful.”
FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
Weekly Memorization: (Taken from the gospel for today’s session): Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God secure the rights of his chosen ones who callout to him day and night?
MEDITATIONS
A Meditation in the Franciscan style/Action
(This is taken from “First Impressions,” a service of the Southern Dominican Province for 29 Sunday C 2019):
The widow’s plight calls to mind those who are deprived of justice in our own society. As elections draw near, whose voices are going to be heard by both politicians and voters? Whose interests will be at the top of the list? Will the voices of the poor and powerless be outshouted by individuals and special interest groups who have more financial or voting power? It would be a rare election indeed if this didn’t happen. Most often the poor, minorities, immigrants, homeless, infirmed, aged and very young are not first on the minds of those running for office, or those casting votes. We can hear the widow’s voice in another way, for now she is speaking for those in our society who are not heard despite their just and desperate need. Will her voice be heard today by city planners deciding where to put a new power plant, city dump, petro-chemical plant, refinery? Who will influence municipal and federal governments when decisions are being made about which homes will be destroyed to build a super highway? Picture the widow standing among those disenfranchised at our borders and hear her voice, “Render a just decision for [us] against [our] adversary.” What is the role of prayer, generally, in social justice situations? What is my role, generally, in social justice situations?
A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship
Here is a prayer from a spiritual writer:
Hi God,
I am just a mess.
It is all hopeless
What else is new?
Would be sick of me, if I were you,
But miraculously, you are not,
I know I have no control over other people’s lives, and I hate this.
Yet I believe that if I accept this and surrender, you will meet me wherever I am.
Wow, can this be true? If am, how is this afternoon--say, two-ish?
Thank you in advance for your company and blessings.
You have never let me down.
Amen
Get out a journal, and write your very own prayer, seeking God’s help in your life. Be real. Be honest. Be persistent. On small pieces of paper, write down all the things that you are worried about right now. All of them. Then put them in a sealed envelope, or a locked boxy where you can’t get your sticky little fingers on them, and then let God do the work. You just might become unstuck yourself.
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions
Let us take some few minutes and ask ourselves about our own prayer life:
What part of my personal prayer is asking for what I want?
What part of my personal prayer shares with God exactly how I am feeling?
What part of my personal prayer is formal, using words and phrases I have memorized, or pray on Sundays?
What part of my personal prayer is about trust, open to new adventures?
What part of my personal prayer is a plea for mercy, because I have fallen short of my ideals?
What part of my personal prayer is thanking God for all that has happened and is happening to me in my life?
What part of my prayer is about awe at God's generosity to me and to the world?
What part of my prayer is about surrender, saying “Amen.” or “Let it be as you say.”
What part of my personal prayer is on behalf of someone else?
Poetic Reflection
Mary Oliver was a very spiritual person, and I suspect, a prayerful person. For example, her book Thirst, is a small gem of prayerfulness, Here are a couple of her poems on the subject of prayer. Do you have your own favorite?
THIRST
Another morning and I wake with thirst
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the hour
and the bell; grant me, in your mercy,
a little more time. Love for the earth
and love for you are having such a long
conversation in my heart. Who knows what
will finally happen or where I will be sent,
yet already I have given a great many things
away, expecting to be told to pack nothing,
except the prayers which, with this thirst,
I am slowly learning.
PRAYING
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
MAKING THE HOUSE READY FOR THE LORD
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice –it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances –but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And I still believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
