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Gospel: Luke 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why do we not always get what we pray for?
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The honest answer is, “I don’t know.”
I think why we get what we pray for is as mysterious why we sometimes don’t. The fact that God listens to us and, at times, answers our prayers exactly as we ask is a marvelous truth in itself.
But there is one thing that we will always receive when we pray: the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Ask, seek, knock. Then my Father in heaven will give you the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Saint Paul says the fruit of the Spirit is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
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So, what does this mean for us?
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Maybe we’ve been praying that a conflict with a disgruntled colleague at work would end overnight. Even if it hasn’t, God will give you the patience and self-control you need to bear it.
Maybe a malignant diagnosis won’t turn benign, but God will give you the peace to accept it.
Maybe a particular temptation will continue to pester you for an indefinite period of time, but God will give you the grace to resist it and remain faithful.
All these things – patience, self-control, peace, and faithfulness are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and thus the fruit of prayer.
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Place your needs and desires before the Lord today. I hope God will answer you exactly as you wish. But if not, be open and ready to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who will help you bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things.
God’s love never fails.
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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) The Gospel Coalition (3) www.claudialebaron.com