Do I Want a God Who Feels Bothered By My Persistent Petitions? 

Margie Winters (right) with her partner, Andrea Vettori (left)

Today’s reflection is by guest blogger Margie Winters, retreat facilitator and spiritual director, who had been dismissed from her ministry as Director of Religious Education because of her marriage to another woman. Her story is featured in Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions.

Today’s liturgical readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time are available here.

Persistence in faith, persistence in prayer, persistence in justice.  What a message from today’s readings! 

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus tells the parable of the judge and the widow.  Talk about persistence!!  I can just picture this older woman who has nothing else to lose, knocking on the judge’s door every morning (maybe at 6 am), aggravating him! Like all widows of the time, she was a woman of no power or influence, not even allowed to appear in the courtroom to argue for justice for herself.  The judge self-describes as someone who “neither fears God nor respects any human being.”   Sounds pretty miserable.  He is moved to giving her a just judgement, however, only because she is pestering him.  Notice, it’s all about him.   

In many reflections on this gospel, we hear that we should persist in prayer because this persistence will move God.  But if we look at this dishonest judge, is this what our God is like?  Is it “all about God”?  Do I want a God who feels bothered by my persistent petitions?   

Jesus’ parables are about helping us imagine the reign or kindom of God.   Perhaps, then, the widow might be the better image of God: her desire for justice, her crying out for something better for herself, her breaking the norms by pestering him.  Like the widow, our God deeply desires justice and has a preferential option for the poor among us.  

Just look at the life and ministry of Jesus.  Jesus heard the cry of the blind man; was moved to pity for the mother who lost her son; stood with the woman caught in adultery.  Jesus stands with the poor and outcast, hears their cries, recognizes injustice and responds.  The kindom to which this parable points is one in which the poor are heard and justice is secured.  

What does that mean for us?  Picture this widow-God crying out for the LGBTQ+ community.  Imagine how much it pains God to see the suffering that we face.  In these days when our trans and gender-diverse community are being so severely targeted, can we recognize that God is right there with us, honoring who we are, crying out for justice, hoping that this Church will see with new eyes?.  

LGBTQ+ people are not unaided in their quest for justice. In today’s Exodus reading,  Moses sends Joshua into battle, promising to raise the staff of God on his behalf.  When Moses holds up the staff, the Israelites prevail.  When his arms tire and falter, their foes get the advantage.  Aaron and Hur offer Moses support by finding him a rock to sit on as they hold up his arms.  

It’s hard to ignore the seemingly militaristic message that God helps us win our battles over our enemies.  As I listen to this reading, however, the battle talk becomes a blurry background while the image that stays with me is the one of Moses with Aaron and Hur on either side of him, holding up his arms.  This great prophet offers us this stance of a people’s pure reliance on God, while also inviting us into this beautiful image of allyship.  

Many of us in the LGBTQ+ community have stories when our weariness, heaviness of burden, or deepening despair wore us down and someone(s) stood by our side with the support and love that we needed.  These allies often have no idea how their simple words, presence or companionship led us through the darkness, marginalization, and injustices we were battling.  

After I was fired from my role as director of religious education because of my same sex marriage, one of my dear friends from school faithfully accompanied me throughout my many years of pain and despair.  She offered love, presence, and connection with her and with the community I felt exiled from.  Her companionship was a lifeline that saved me at a time of great trial.  

Allyship is such an important witness to the LGBTQ+ community and to the Church community.  Their persistent witness consistently upholds our essential dignity so often defaced by the Church’s language and actions.  How can we move forward with any faith and trust in an institution that still calls us “intrinsically disordered”?  Our allies support us and mirror God’s stance that we are beloved children of God, made in God’s image and likeness.  

The kindom of God is what we imagine together, what we work  towards.  For us, this is where we must be persistent and rely on this widow-God accompanying us as we stand strong in our cries for justice and persist in calling for dignity and wholeness.  At times this will be a wearying journey fraught with pain and isolation.  

During these experiences, we need to lean in, relying on God and on our allies to support us, hold us up, advocate for and with us.   As we build this kindom, we can rely on our widow-God to meet us, calling us by name, “Beloved.” 

—Margie Winters, October 19, 2025