***
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.
“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?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
Examine your prayer life.
What is your conversation with God like? When you pray, do you find yourself constantly asking for things? Or is your prayer life more about spending time with God?
***
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Act like the persistent neighbor who kept banging on his friend’s door until he got what he wanted.
Sometimes we interpret these words to mean, “If I pray hard enough, long enough, even loud enough, then God will give me exactly what I want.”
But Jesus isn’t telling us that we can manipulate the mind of God, or twist his arm into doing whatever we’d like. Rather, “ask, seek knock… and the door will be opened to you.”
Behind that door is not a thing, but a Person, the Holy Spirit. This is the sole guarantee of prayer.
***
Saint Paul says the fruit of the Holy Spirit – thus the fruit of prayer – includes, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Maybe you’ve been praying for a conflict at work to end. Even if it hasn’t, through prayer God will soften your heart, release you from the throes of judgment, and fill you with the peace and patience you need to navigate it and persevere.
Maybe a particular temptation keeps tugging at your flesh. Even if God does not uproot it, the Holy Spirit will give you the grace you need to resist and remain faithful.
Perhaps your heart has become fearful or restless, prayer may not change the cause of your stress, but can replace the fear with peace.
***
Set aside a few quiet moments today.
Ask, seek, and knock on heaven’s door until the Holy Spirit answers. Then invite the Spirit to dwell within you.
***
***
Image credits: (1) Calvary Chapel of the Holy Spirit, South Jersey (2) RayChoi.org (3) Godsongs.net