In the readings for this Sunday we consider God’s mercy as well as His justice...
Reflections on the readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 24, 2022): GN 18:20-32; PS 138:1-2,2-3,6-7,7-8;COL 2:12-14; LK 11:1-13
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
We also meditate on the meaning of prayer in our lives -- and how it can nourish our relationship with Him.
After Jesus shares His own prayer to our Father with the disciples in today’s Gospel, He instructs them how to pray. He stresses the element of persistence. Christ wants those who believe in Him, who follow Him, to realize that prayer is essential to our lives. While God may not reply to our prayer when and how we want, we must not give up. We must let Him respond in His own time and own way. But He will always answer us. Jesus said: “I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. … What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? …If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:9-11,13)
God loves us and never denies us any good. But, that does not mean that we always know what is best for us or for others. He wants us to persevere in a spirit of trust and humility, to be open to what He wants to give us, even when it difficult. As Christians, our relationship with the Blessed Trinity means putting our whole selves, body, mind, and spirit, into His care. We need to make His will ours. By talking with God about our needs, desires, and hopes and those of others for whom we pray, we grow closer to Him. When, in the words of the Our Father, we say, “Thy will be done,” we are entrusting ourselves to the plan of God and our place in His Kingdom. By persisting in asking God’s help, by thanking Him for His mercy, by asking His pardon for our sins, and by adoring Him with our whole heart and soul we become more deeply, entirely His own. Let us keep praying, not just day by day but hour by hour. Frequently placing ourselves in God’s presence and communicating with Him through even a few words of prayer can become a habit. One that will stretch our soul with God’s love for us -- and our love for Him.
Suggested missionary action: Let us resolve to say the Our Father with a fresh interest and attention each day and to make it a special moment. Perhaps we could say it first thing when we wake up, or at noontime, or just before bed. We can make it a quiet visit in prayer with our beloved Father along with Jesus -- and all who follow Him.
