MY daily reflection and prayer:
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 11:1-13
He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.” And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
***
IN the Gospel reading today, Jesus Christ not only teaches us his prayer to God but also teaches us how to call God as our Father. He gives us the Our Father, the most perfect of prayers.
By giving us his prayer “the Our Father”, Jesus Christ teaches us to put our trust totally in the Father’s love. He teaches us to ask that the Father’s Kingdom of love come in our hearts. It is our true home.
So, by praying “the Our Father”, a continual conversion of heart is renewed in us. By praying the Our Father, we are expressing our desire to enter into the Father’s loving and gracious heart. We also want to be like the Father in his goodness, holiness, and love.
It’s amazing that Jesus assures us that God is our Heavenly Father who will answer our prayer. Jesus Christ reveals his Father’s generous heart. God is a Father who yearns for friends, not slaves.
So after teaching us his prayer, he says that whoever asks will receive, whoever seeks will find, and whoever knocks will get the door opened. Here he gives us a guarantee that God the Father will hear every request we ask of him. Even he answers our prayer more generously than we could possibly have hoped for.
But Jesus anticipates also that it’s hard for us to accept these words. He knows that we will be tempted to doubt them. So he reiterates them into us by using an example. It’s why he says, “Would any earthly father worthy of the title torture his children by giving them stones instead of bread or a little balled up scorpion instead of an egg? Of course not.”
Even though we are fallen human beings, selfish sinners, and wicked, we still try to give good things to those we love. It’s true. Our earthly father are imperfect, but if we asked them for an egg none of them would hand us a scorpion instead. So if our earthly fathers, who are sinners, give good things to their children, how much more will God give the best to us who ask. He will give us the Holy Spirit!
Why does God the Father give us the Holy Spirit? We know that the Holy Spirit brings holiness to our lives. Jesus Christ reminds us that the Father wants to bless us with this holiness. We must not tire of asking for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now then, we can easily understand how God, the Father, whose love is unencumbered by even the slightest smidgen of selfishness, is certainly even more eager to give good things to us. God, our Heavenly Father, loves us tirelessly and without measure his children.
Yes, of course, it’s exactly right, those who ask will receive and those who seek will find, because God is simply too good. So he will answer our prayer.
And now, our part is to pray with unlimited faith in God’s power and his goodness. So we have to pray to him with confidence.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist while adoring Jesus Christ, we pray to God the Father who does everything he can to stir up that desire within us. He even sends us his Son to be our Savior and gives us the Holy Spirit. Do we believe that he does all the best for us?
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you give us your Father in heaven. Give us today the grace and strength to embrace your holy will and fill our heart with your love that all our intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Help us to be kind and forgiving towards our neighbor as you have been towards us all now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
