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Gospel: Matthew 7: 7-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
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. 
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. 
This is the law and the prophets.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Why is it that we don’t always get what we pray for?

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus says clearly, “Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Yet some prayers go unanswered. 

Why is that?

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Context is everything.

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This Gospel passage comes only a few verses after Jesus gives his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer we’ve all prayed thousands of times. 

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

That’s key.

Jesus links today’s promise – ask, seek, find – to the Lord’s Prayer. Meaning, Jesus will give anyone who asks the grace to do God’s will here on earth, just as it’s done in heaven.

God may not give me a Ferrari, even if I pray for it. But he will give me the grace to resist temptation; to endure dry periods of prayer; to grow in humility and patience; and to embrace this penitential season of Lent.

“Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread?” Jesus says.

“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.”

God will never give us anything evil. 

But sometimes when we don’t get what we pray for, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening or that he doesn’t care; he simply has other plans – better plans – for us, which often make sense in time.

May the Lord give us the grace to accept his will, whatever it may be, today.

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Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply, 
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose Peter to be the rock of the Church?

Why not John, the Beloved Disciple? 

John stood faithfully at the Cross while Peter was somewhere else cowering in fear. 

Or why not Mary Magdalene, whose devotion to Jesus was undeniable? 

She was the first person to approach the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, and the first to see the Risen Lord.

Why not John or Mary? Why Peter?

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Because Peter was embarrassingly human – a man filled with courage, and at times, cowardice.

He was the first disciple to profess his faith in Jesus, saying rightly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 

But three times he denies ever knowing him.

Peter walks trustingly towards Jesus on the stormy Sea of Galilee – but then he’s overcome by fear and sinks.

Jesus names him the “rock” in today’s Gospel, but later rebukes Peter, calling him “Satan.”

More than any other disciple, Peter experienced both success and failure.

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That’s why the Lord chose him.

Peter could be any one of us.

Like us, he wrestled with fear, anxiety, and doubt. He wasn’t perfect, but he was redeemed.

Peter is meant to comfort us; to remind us that we don’t have to be without fault in order to follow Jesus. Some days we succeed; other days we fail. 

But the Lord is with us through it all, leading us into his kingdom.

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Lent is a penitential season.

By now, I’m sure we’ve all thought of something we can abstain from – anything from coffee to Netflix. 

But if you’re still unsure, allow me to offer a bit of advice.

Most parents would agree that pacifiers are one of the best inventions ever. When babies are crying and all else fails, that little piece of plastic can calm them instantly. It’s like magic!

While we quickly outgrow them, there are all kinds of other pacifiers that we may cling to – snacking, shopping, working, complaining, television – things that offer us momentary relief, but not lasting nourishment. 

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What’s my pacifier?

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Whatever it is, that may be the perfect thing to give up this Lent.

Instead of watching an extra thirty minutes of mind numbing television, for example, spend that time reading the bible or in private prayer. Seek lasting nourishment from the Lord.

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We must also be on our guard, making sure that our fasting doesn’t lead to a poor attitude. I remember trying to give up coffee one Lent but became the quite the grouch!

That wasn’t beneficial to anyone; giving up the coffee was only half the penance. The other half was being charitable towards others while tired.

“When you fast,” Jesus says, “do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting from our pacifiers – whether it’s coffee or Netflix – can be spiritually fruitful, but only if we do it with the right attitude.

Am I beginning Lent with the right attitude?

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Embrace this period of renewal. The Lord will never be outdone in generosity.