“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Jesus, in today’s Gospel, Luke 18:1-8.
‘He’s become a persona non-garter.’ Sean Coughlan, BBC reporter, of Prince Andrew.
Today’s Gospel seems to be about an unjust judge who neither fears God nor has the respect of the people. He has power but does not always use it fairly and when a powerless widow comes to him seeking justice, he eventually does as she asks for fear that she will otherwise assault him!
In the time of Jesus, most disputes were taken to one of the elders but civil matters were dealt with by judges appointed by Herod or the Romans. They were notoriously corrupt and lazy, with bribes and threats often resulting, so a seemingly defenceless widow would appear to stand little chance of justice without even a male relative to plead her case as was the custom then. However, she is clearly persistent and determined to be vindicated, when all parties presented and argued their own case themselves and the judge vindicated or decided the outcome, having listened to all involved. In this case, is the judge vindicating the widow because he believes she is right or for fear of an aassault and because he doesn’t want to be worn out by her continual appearances?
The widow wins her case through her sheer persistence and Jesus makes it clear that this is what the parable is about. He likens God to a judge who, unlike the unjust judge, will listen to those who call to him and deal fairly with them – justice will quickly prevail with him. But God will not force or bribe people – he will wait patiently for them to come to him and persist in asking for his intervention. And so those who come to him must trust that, when they make their case, this will happen through their persistence in prayer. However, that is hard and prayer is not always answered in the way or time anticipated so will those coming to him be tempted to give up and perhaps opt out of the demands of the Gospel? As Jesus says, will faith be found on earth at the Last Judgement?
This parable contrasts sharply with the ongoing case being made in the court of public opinion over Prince Andrew and the consequences of his involvement with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following recent evidence that he was not honest about when their association ended, this has lead to doubts about other actions and comments the Prince had previously made and suggestions that, as he continues to protest his innocence, he should testify in a court of law in America, as requested, since he would have nothing to fear.
Andrew is now being called the banned Old Duke of York, rather than the Grand Old Duke of York as in the nursery rhyme. This may refer to Prince Frederick the Duke of York and Albany, second son of George III and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army who, in 1794, was forced to retreat during the Flanders Campaign and may have lead his troops up and then down a hill in Cassel, France. In the complexity of this ongoing situation today and its consequences for the Prince personally as well as the Royal Family, it seems as if the now former Duke of York has retreated from public life permanently and that there may yet be further challenges to his title and reputation as the police, lawyers and media persist with their investigations.
The Prince has already been termed persona non-garter following his withdrawal from the Order of the Garter and one of the considerations is whether, with the enormous amount of allegations and speculation, he would be able ever to have a fair trial. But, in the blaze of publicity about the Prince, are the ordeals of the young women allegedly abused and trafficked by Epstein and his circle on so great a scale being ignored?
However, concerns are also mounting that the publication of the posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre this week will eclipse the historic meeting between King Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Pope Leo, the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church – there have been various meetings over the years, but both will pray together for the first time since the Reformation. Amidst the divisive issues swirling around the controversies over his brother Andrew, whose actions have had to be judged by the King, this symbolic reconciliation may be undermined. Jesus himself was also caught up in similar controversy: “What is truth?” asked Pilate, as Jesus appeared before him at his trial. Whatever the disputed truth of this matter, each of us may face events in our own lives where we also have to judge the accuracy of what is being said and done or strive for a just outcome. Jesus suggests that prayer is key and persistence essential – he asks then as now, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Could one appropriate and immediate response to Jesus’ challenge be to pray faithfully and persistently for all involved in and affected by the controversial and devastating events surrounding Prince Andrew as they continue to unfold?
With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Priest Guardian.