Gn 18:20-32
Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Col 2:12-14
Lk 11:1-13 Full Readings
Ask, Seek, Knock
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray as it was a tradition for all Rabbis to teach their disciples how to pray, Jesus taught them the most common, universal and known prayer among Christians: "Our Father." Jesus by starting this prayer by Our Father in heaven teaches the disciples and we too that every prayer must be addressed to the Father in heaven. Always we may pray through our saints, our Mother Mary and many other devotions but those are just a passage of our prayers, which must be addressed to God the Father. At conclusion of every prayer, we address it to the Father through his Son Jesus Christ with the aid of the Holy Spirit for the Holy Spirit intercedes for us always and corrects our prayer if we happen to have prayed wrongly (Romans 8:26-27). God also answers sometimes in the same way, may through Mary or our patron saints or through other devotions and all these are done in the name of Christ our Lord. Whom do you address your prayers to?
Jesus assures us today to ask and we will receive, to seek and we will find, to knock and the door will be opened up for us, and in another place that whatever we ask from the Father in his name, we shall receive. Faith is a prerequisite of course. God our heavenly Father waits upon us. Like a table waiter or friend who comes in the middle of the night, he is always ready to hear our plea and to give us what we need. When you are in need, who do you turn to for help? Do you ask the Father with expectant faith and confident trust in his goodness? Do you seek his guidance and help in your time of need? Do you knock with persistence at his door of mercy and favor? If we treat our heavenly Father with indifference or neglect to ask with confident trust, we may miss the opportunity we have been given to receive his grace and favor and merciful help.
A father can never give his child a scorpion instead of an egg or a snake instead of a fish. “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” But aren’t there times we think we’re getting snakes in answer to our prayers? How often do we look at prayers, perhaps for a dying friend, and wonder if they are being heard? What do we do when we feel like this? We can be tempted to pull away from God, to cross our arms like stubborn toddlers. If we’re wise, however, we’ll follow St. Paul’s recommendation and praise God! “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (Thessalonians 5:16-18). Jesus gives us the parable of a man who came at night begging bread for his visitor and because of his persistence, the owner of the house opened the door and gave him the bread. So it should be wit us, we should always with faith be persistent in asking God while allowing the will of God to be done. But above all thank the most hospitable God that he gives us the best and the greatest gift one will ever imagine: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide us to get what we need.
If God is the most hospitable and gives more than we can imagine, Why then should we lack the courage to ask for what we need, to knock at his door of mercy and abundance and to seek at his garden of fruits and gifts? The challenge often is with us and not God because we go searching and believing where God has not called us to. The question therefore for us all today is: do I express my faith wrongly by not knocking, seeking, and asking at the right place? Do you pray with persistence? Look at Abraham in the first reading who could not stop asking God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there was even one righteous person; such persistence is what when we are asking from God our Father for we are his children through our baptism through Jesus Christ as St Paul tells us in the second reading.
The parable of a late-night traveler teaches us another important lesson about hospitality to our neighbours; God being the most hospitable. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required that every guest, whether stranger or friend, be warmly welcomed, refreshed (which often involved the washing of feet), and fed with the best food and drink available. It didn't matter what time of the day or night the guests might show up, it was your duty to stop what you were doing so you could give the guests the best care and shelter you could provide. If there wasn't adequate sleeping accommodation for both your guests and your family, the family slept outside under the stars. When guests showed up in a village, the whole community could be prevailed upon to provide whatever was needed.
Today we are invited to reflect on how hospitable we are. Do we welcome everybody who comes to us in need of help, even if we can help or we are unable? It is through hospitality that we receive many blessings because we never know we may be receiving God in those people we welcome. Think about the experience of Abraham welcoming the three men, the woman who welcomed Elijah and cooked for him the only food left for her and his son, all those visits ended in blessings. The "thank you" and sometimes "God bless you" statements that a person says after being welcomed bring more happiness and blessings to us even more than the one we have welcomed.
Let us Pray
Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your mercy and love nor hesitate to seek you with confident trust in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your beloved child and constant friend. Amen
Be blessed
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