
Gospel Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples: "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
Reflection:
When I first went to college, my grandmother gave me two things that helped me to cultivate a relationship with Jesus. The first thing she gave me was a prayer book that she had blessed by Father Fred. Second, she gave me a Rosary. I would have discussions with her and talk with a sincere desire to do all I could to have a relationship with Jesus like my grandmother had. I could tell her relationship was special, because she would always tell me how much she loved Jesus. Any time we would mention the Holy Name of Jesus, she never missed a beat and would tell us something special about Him. I consider these to be good gifts from my grandmother. I found these gifts extremely useful when I went off to college. There was a period of adjustment, and my need to connect with Jesus and Mary was very important to me. I went through the prayer book and found prayers that I started to pray daily. One of them was a Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here is a link to the prayer.
In this prayer it says, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open to you. Have you ever prayed a prayer and felt that Jesus gave that prayer to you for the season in life you were going through? It takes the words Jesus spoke and incorporates them into a Novena prayer.
This is what went through my mind as I read this Gospel. I thought that this is a passage where Jesus is helping us to know how to pray, with persistence, asking, seeking, and knocking. All of this with the knowledge that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers, and will answer them if the things asked for are good for us. This passage gives us a glimpse into the goodness of God.
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