Homily for Oct. 12th, 2017: Luke 11:5-13.
This story about the friend coming at
midnight emphasizes two things: the need for persistence in prayer, and God=s readiness to hear us: AAsk and you will receive,” Jesus
says. “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.@ Continuing to pray when God seems to
answer only with silence increases our desire and strengthens our faith, as
physical exercise strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles. St. Gregory the
Great, who was bishop of Rome
To illustrate his teaching about
prayer, Jesus reminds us that God is our loving heavenly Father, and we are his
children. God is more loving, however, than the even best human father or
mother B and wiser. Hence he will not always
answer our prayers in the way, or at the time, that we think he should. When
God refuses something we pray for, it is always in order to give us something
better.
The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen told a story
about a little girl who prayed, before Christmas, for a hundred dolls. She didn=t get even one. Her unbelieving
father, who had taunted both her and her mother for praying at all, couldn=t resist saying on Christmas day: AWell God didn=t answer your prayers, did he?@ To which the child gave the
beautiful answer: AOh yes, He did. He said No!@ In my own ninetieth year, I am
grateful to have lived long enough to be able to thank God for answering some
of my prayers, Not yet; and others, No.
Even when we have done our best to
explain and understand prayer, however, it remains a mystery: not in the sense
that we can understand nothing about prayer, but that what we can understand is
partial only. We can no more explain Ahow prayer works@ than we can explain how the human
mind works, or the human heart.
Above all, therefore, we need to ask
for the gift of God=s Holy Spirit: the fire of God’s love, to burn away
everything in us that is contrary to God, and to light up our way; his wisdom
to see what it right and true, and to embrace it when seen. That prayer will
always be answered, Jesus promises us. AIf 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?@
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