Luke 11: 1-13
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072725.cfm
When you pray say, 'Our Father . . . '"
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O God, protector of those who hope in you,
without whomnothing has firm foundation or is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good thing that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
(Collect of Sunday)
Trust is an important value that is essential in our
human relationships but often we are rightly cautious of what may seem “too
good to be true.” If it sounds too good to be true, as the saying goes, it
probably is.
For some people the same principle is applied in our
spiritual life. That is, belief in God
as all loving, merciful, and caring is probably just too good to be true. Some might even sadly go so far as to say
that imagining a God to be such is merely a psychological projection of our
deepest longing for better parents and for an improved version of our fathers
or a way to deal with the dysfunction of life.
Yet, our readings this Sunday uncover the very nature of God to be one
so present to us and attentive to our life that we can turn to him in a very
personal way. This God, as Jesus
presented to us, is like a Father who assures us that our needs are heard.
But, let’s face it, and I include myself in this of course, at times we question the value of prayer. It is frustrating at times since either God seems to be deaf, distant, uncaring, or aloof from our desires and requests in prayer; or so it seems. St. Augustine states that God will delay in giving us what we want because he wants our hearts to expand to be able to receive it. That’s worth reflection, isn’t it?
However, this weekend’s readings offer us a more
assuring answer to that same question. We are offered both the example of
Abraham and three teachings of Jesus on prayer that give us confidence that God
is always good for his word. And the most significant ask we can make of God is
to receive the Holy Spirit. In your
prayer, do you ask for the Spirit? As the gospel ends, we hear: “. . . how much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Lk 11: 13).
In Genesis we hear of the plea-bargain between Abraham
and God as they walk towards the infamous city of Sodom. The familiarity
between Abraham and God is impressive and he is certainly persistent in his
asking.
God has threatened to destroy the city of Sodom because
of their great sinfulness so Abraham steps in as an advocate for the very few
good people who might remain there. He
appeals to God’s better characteristics of mercy and forgiveness. I love the
complement Abraham extends to God in this pursuit on behalf of the people: “Far
be it from you to do such a thing . . .” Flattery will get you somewhere.
How far will God’s mercy go? He knows that God does not desire destruction
but will honor goodness. God is at
heart, mercy and forgiveness. Sadly, poor Sodom was so corrupt, not even ten
good people, that God had no choice but to wipe them off the desert apparently.
Right justice demanded it. I’ve always wondered if Abraham had asked a final
time, “What if there is just one good person . . .”
What would God say then? My suspicions are that he
would have spared the city even for the sake of the one.
Jesus’ Gospel stories of the traveller in need who
knocks on the door in the middle of the night for some bread is similar. It
seems the midnight traveller is persistent as Abraham in his requests for
bread.
In ancient times the mark of each town would be the
measure of its hospitality. It was
expected, in fact required that food be given to travellers who arrive. It was a matter of honor to be marked as a
town of welcome and hospitality so there is a reputation to uphold here.
The lesson seems to be more the assurance of the traveller
that his request will be answered, persistent or not. It reveals to us the nature of God himself –
“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will
be opened.” In other words, we can
be assured that our prayer (request) our “daily bread” as we hear in the lesson
on prayer that Jesus’ teaches will be heard and answered.
But this daily bread we seek is not what you might find in your grocery or favorite bakery. It is a bread that, as the original Greek states in the use of the word, a kind of “super-substantial” bread. A bread not unlike the Eucharist that sustains us throughout our lives. So, in this case, think assurance rather than persistence as a lesson.
Still, we become frustrated in prayer. We become
disappointed in prayer. We become confused, tired or lax or only occasional
with our prayer? I pray and nothing happens,
least alone what I have prayed for is not granted.
Maybe the last example Jesus’ gives is an answer to
this confusion. No matter how old we
are, how successful, how educated or influential, we are all still children of
God. And being children, we don’t always
know what is best for us so we often confuse our wants with our needs. We ask not because God needs to know, he
already does, but we seek because we need to know what God desires for us.
Clearly, this is a God who has our best interest at heart and we don’t always know what we need. What we need is a fuller sharing in the Holy Spirit and that is the greatest gift we can receive. To discern what God’s will is for us would be a great, an awesome, answer to any prayer.
So, maybe it’s good to ask ourselves, how do I pray?
Can I do so in an attitude of forgiveness and trust? How regular is prayer for
me? Daily? Only when in trouble? Do I feel a relationship with God that is
friendly, fearful, fantastic, distant, estranged, or …?
How I answer those questions may reveal the greatest
needs of my life – and those I bring to prayer. Our father cares for us and so
we pray . . .
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