The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 19, 2025
Confessions are held on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. at the northwest entrance (opposite the Adoration entrance) of the church.
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Father Michael Merkt, Pastor Email: mmerkt@stjohns-grfd.org
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Jan Sadlon, Parish Secretary Email: rectory@stjohns-grfd.org or jsadlon@stjohns-grfd.org
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Gospel Reflection
October 19, 2025
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A woman in my parish has an adult son who has rejected his faith. She prays for him every day. She lights candles, says rosaries, and asks God again and again to bring him back. But nothing changes. Is God listening? Is He delaying? She told me once that she feels like the widow in Jesus’ strange parable — crying out for justice, but hearing only silence. And yet, she said, she is at peace. I asked why. She responded, “God is already answering. I just can’t see it yet.”
She embodies something of the mystery in Jesus’ parable in Luke 18 this week. A powerless widow demands justice from a corrupt judge. This isn’t about wearing God down until He gives in. It’s about faith in the justice that is already coming. The widow isn’t just persistent; she believes that justice is inevitable. And when Jesus points to the judge’s words — his fear of being “struck” — He hints at something deeper: God’s justice does not creep in gradually. It strikes. It comes like lightning.
Blessed Mary is, of course, the ultimate widow demanding justice. At the foot of the cross, she stands before what looks like the ultimate injustice — the brutal execution of her son. But she did not despair. She did not beg for a last-minute rescue. She knew that justice was not delayed. In fact, it was happening. The power of the cross was already unleashing justice upon the world — suddenly, decisively, like a blow that would topple every corrupt power, making even the most corrupt fear her strike.
This parable asks us: Will the Son of Man find faith on earth? Or will we mistake God’s silence for absence? The cross proves that justice is not slow. It is only hidden. The lightning has already struck. In the cross, justice is speedily being done
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Love One Another Catholic Campaign
In the Summer of 2021, we entered the pilot wave of the Archdiocesan campaign, "Love One Another." Below is a video we produced to present some of our case elements. For a more detailed description of our case elements, or if you want to donate, please click here.
Welcome
St. John the Evangelist is a Roman Catholic Eucharistic community faithful to the values and traditions of the Church. We strive to live our faith every day, to embrace stewardship, and to be nurtured by continuous Christian Formation.