17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:11-13
Jesus reminds us of the importance of intercession, of asking for what we need. In Luke we have two great stories of asking with perseverance – that of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8) and this reading of the friend at night.
As friends of the Lord (John 15:13-15) may we have the courage to ask and the freedom the accept the Lord’s response to us. Asking for something for ourselves does not come readily to many of us. It can be easier to ask for a favor for someone else. We know God is the giver of every good gift and will give us what is for our good. We pray for the faith to believe and the perseverance to continue to ask in the spirit of this Gospel reading. Prayer demands practice and perseverance, courage and confidence. “Ask”, “seek” and “knock”. We may ask for the wrong thing, but we will receive what we need, rather than what we want. This trust should be at the root of all prayer.
Jesus makes it clear that we must never give up praying. The Father is the source of infinite riches and he is willing to meet our needs abundantly. But we must first ask. I look back to times when I asked and was given, sought and found, knocked and it was opened to me. I also bring to mind when I was not given, when I did not find, and when the door stayed shut. In all simplicity I ask the Lord for faith and trust, for freedom at looking at my relationship with him.
In this parable Jesus gives the example of a friend who is reluctant to be disturbed but who gives in under persistent requests. The message is a simple one: keep trying, persisting until you get a result. Asking, searching, knocking, are the actions of someone in need. The theme of prayer continues in today’s gospel. The question Jesus raises is faith. Do you believe that God the Father will give if you ask?
Human generosity and care, especially for our own children, is evident. If we can be generous surely God can too. But do I believe that God listens?
I ask God for the faith I need. My prayer may be less in the waiting for the answer than in approaching God with a child’s confident trust. We may feel we have been knocking at the door of God for years in prayer for ourselves or for someone else; we may feel tired of asking. What does it mean that we always receive? Prayer is always heard by God, not always answered as we might wish. We can ask ourselves what we receive by knocking at the door of God or by asking for years. We receive something of God’s love and Holy Spirit every time we pray.
