Readings: Gen. 18:20-32; Responsorial Psalm PS 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8; Col. 2:12-14; Gospel Lk 11:1-13.
Theme: On Persistence & Not Giving Up On God
Dearly beloved in Christ, on this Sunday, we are presented with Jesus' teaching about prayer and persistence. As a response to a question one of his disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (11:1) Elizabeth Johnson opines that Jesus offers a three-part teaching which includes: A model prayer, a parable about prayer, and some sayings about prayer. It is essential to understand the gospel reading (Lk 11:1-13) in the light of these three points earlier referred to:
1. A Model Prayer: It was St. Augustine who once said, "there is no human petition which the, Our Father does not take cognizance of." As a model prayer, the Lord's Prayer contains the four traditional formats of Catholic prayer namely: Adoration, thanksgiving, supplication and petition. (a). Prayer of Adoration: The words, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name" constitute the prayer of adoration. This prayer calls us to the solemn worship, adulation and adoration of God's awesomeness. It is also a call to keep the first two of the Ten Commandments of God: "I am the LORD your God" (Cf. Ex. 20 2-17) and "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (Deut. 5:6-21). How many times have we violated this injunction by putting other things like money, selfish desires and vain ambition, before the worship of God?
(b). Thanksgiving: The doxology to the prayer, "For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and forever, " which is said at the end of the Our Father especially at Mass which appears in the Matthean account (Matt. 6:13) but is not included in the Lucan version also attests to the fact that the Our father is a prayer of thanksgiving to God who desires our all. We are called to worship God in thanksgiving for all that he is to us. After all, it is in him that we live and move and have our being. This prayer is a timeless theological paradigm for all Christians.
(b). Prayer of Supplication: Whenever we pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we are saying the praying of supplication. Granted that God's kingdom was inaugurated by Jesus' incarnation, we pray for his reign to continue in our time. God's reign includes establishing truth, justice and peace in our various communities and the world.
When we call for God's will to done on earth, we are saying, less of us Lord and more of you. Mary's fiat, "..let it be done to me according to your will" (Luke 1:38) comes powerfully as a template of faith. We often insist on our way rather than letting God have his way. We are called to always allow the will of God to reign in our hearts and our homes.
(c). Prayer of Petition: In the "Our Father," the part where we intone the words, "Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil amen" constitute the prayer of petition to God for the supply of our physical and spiritual needs. This part of the Lord's prayer is a call for total dependence on God for our daily needs (Matt. 6:8). Whenever we think that it is exclusively our effort that brings forth all our needs, we are short-changing this prayer. This is an invitation to give credit to the one who deserves it - God, our heavenly Father and our provider.
Although he allows us to be tempted like the biblical Job, God does not lead us into temptation (Cf. James 1:13). That is why we have the right to demand that he deliver us from evil. We are also reminded in the prayer that the forgiveness of our sins is predicated upon our forgiving those who wrong us. The second reading insists that, "he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims"(Col. 2:12-14). The implication is, if you can't forgive those who wrong you, don't pray the, Our Father - period! 2. A Parable About Prayer: In the parable about prayer, Jesus points to persistence as an invaluable asset in prayer. A friend was obliged to save his crony from the embarrassment of failing to be hospitable - a virtue we must all embrace. On his part, the friend in need was not ashamed to beg and so should we.
3. Some Sayings About Prayer: As a follow-up to the parable, Jesus goes ahead to add some teachings about persistence in prayer. The words, Ask, Seek and Knock means that we should not be ashamed of begging God for our needs - Of course, no loving father would be embarrassed at the demands of his children. This is what this portion of the Lord's Prayer means. It sums up God's benevolence and super-abundant care for his children.
This connects with Abraham's plea-bargain for Sodom and Gomorrah. As a father, Abraham bargains with God to spare the lives of the Sodomites. As a loving-father, God okays Abraham's plea and assures of his readiness to spare their lives should he find one righteous man. The greatest lesson is that while Abraham persisted in asking God for clemency, God was patient with his plea. What the reading puts before us is that the importance of prayer in the life and ministry of Jesus can never be overemphasized. It adds that we must not be dissuaded by the myriad challenges of life to give up on God. Those seeking for the fruit of the womb for years, applicants, job seekers, bachelors and spinsters are assured that at his own time, God would meet their needs. Ours is a faith built on prayer and persistence. We ought to pray as if nothing else matters and work for our daily bread as if every other thing depends on it - we must, however, give acknowledge God as the source and summit of our lives and existence - This is what the, Our Father teaches us to do. Have a blessed week!
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