INSISTENT PRAYER

October 7, Thursday

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

To the prophet Malachi and the pious Jews, the apparently happy life of sinners was a scandal. To them, who practiced their faith, God seemed absent and not listening to their prayers. But God will hear them and do justice to each on the day of judgment. Christ tells us to persevere in our prayers. God hears and will give what we need.

      Luke tells us that Jesus prayed often. And insistently, as at his agony. Now he tells us that Jesus wants us too to be persevering, insistent and even bold in our prayer. For God is good. How can he resist us when we pray? He will give us not only good things but also the Holy Spirit, the gift that contains all gifts.

                 

First Reading: Malachy 3:13-20a

God says, “You have spoken hard, rude words to me.

“You ask, ‘When did we ever do that?’

“When you said, ‘It doesn’t pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make? Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.’”

Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, “They’re mine, all mine. They’ll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. Once more you’ll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn’t, between serving God and not serving him.”

 

Gospel: Luke 11:5-13

Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’

 “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’

“But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

“Here’s what I’m saying:

Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
when we cry out to you,
we wonder at times whether you hear us
for your silence is sometimes oppressive.
Keep us trusting in your goodness
and your constant presence.
Give us what is good when we ask you,
and also when we forget to ask,
let us find you when we seek you,
open to us when we knock,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Ask

On October 7, the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also known by the alternate title of “Our Lady of Victory,” because it is celebrated to honour the Blessed Mother for the victory of the Christian forces against the Turkish invasion on 7 October 1571 at Lepanto, in Greece. While preparing for the battle, Pope Pius V encouraged the Christians in the whole of Europe to pray the Rosary. The Pope attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast was instituted to honour the motherly protection of the Blessed Mother through the Rosary devotion.

Rosary is a repetition of prayers. Many people consider it boring to repeat the same prayer of Hail Mary and Our Father. Curious though, today’s gospel talks about the importance of repetition and consistency in prayer!

Jesus tells the parable of a man who, with great insistence, went to ask a friend to give him three loaves of bread (vv. 5-8). This story intends to teach that prayer needs to be untiring. But, Is it not true that God knows our needs even before we ask for them? Then why does the Lord want us to be persistent in prayer? Certainly not because God wants to be asked for a long time before granting something, but because it helps us to discern well what we are asking for and also helps us to assimilate God’s plans for our lives.

Do not be mistaken that our prayers are to persuade God to change his plan. That would appear like we want God to comply with our ideas, that he would grant us all what we ask for and all that are in our liking. It is not so. On the contrary, talking with him at length in prayer, will help us to understand the love of God better and accept his designs.

Prayer does not change God; rather it opens our minds, changes our hearts and attitudes. It is hard to give up our way of looking at the world. The ways of God are not always easy, nor pleasant; they require conversion, efforts, renouncement, sacrifices. To discern the will of the Lord, we must pray .

Lord promises that our prayers will be answered, but our experience might be different! The reality remains the same as before – the disease continues, the grievance will remain, the wounds of betrayal will be painful. But our prayer will help us find answers to deal with these realities.

 

Video available on Youtube: Ask