Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 464
Lectionary: 464
You have defied me
in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Responsorial PsalmPS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
GospelLK 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?”
“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?”
Meditation: "How
much more will the heavenly Father give!"
What can we expect from
God, especially when we recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we
don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night
traveller to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in
contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors. The rule
of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire
community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest
was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy
to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it
served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for
bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor.
To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of
inhospitality.
If a
neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the
night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances,
is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us
that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may
ask, gives much more graciously." In conclusion Jesus makes a startling
claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord
is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He
gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you
approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness?
"Heavenly
Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your love nor
hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and
daily provision I need to live as your disciple and child."
 The Christian Who Doesn’t Pray Treats God like a Servant |
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Thursday of the
Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
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Father James
Swanson, LC
Luke 11:5-13
And he said to them, "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?"
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the
universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things
past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy
Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have
generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for
the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you
are pleased with what I have to give.
Petition: Lord, through this meditation, grant me the
grace of a greater dependence on you.
1. God Wants Us to Ask: Sometimes we think that since God knows all
things, we need not ask him for anything. We need only wait until God will
give us what we need. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this
passage, Jesus doesn’t say not to worry; instead he says
that our Heavenly Father will gladly and lovingly provide whatever we need,
provided we ask for it. One reason why God has arranged things this way is
because if our needs were automatically provided for, a great number of us
would not even realize there is a God, or we would easily forget him. There
are affluent societies in which the people’s material needs are taken care of
easily. Does such a situation remind the people of God, his power, or his
love? When we ask God to provide for our needs, we implicitly recognize his
existence and authority in our lives. God wants us to do this.
2. Petitions in Prayer Increase My
Faith: But there are even
more important reasons God wants us to ask. It is in asking that our faith
grows. The more I ask, the more I come into a personal relationship with God.
If I never had to turn to him for my needs, I would never realize how much he
wants to be a part of my life. But when I have to ask, especially if I have
to put some time and effort into it, then, when my needs are satisfied, it
will be very clear that God did it. It will be clear that it wasn’t me, or
luck, or anything else, but God. Don’t be afraid to ask. Develop your faith
by doing so.
3. When I Don’t Ask for What I Need, I Treat
God as My Servant: When
we expect God to give us all we need without asking, are we not placing the
whole burden of our salvation on him and nothing on ourselves? Are we not in
a sense being lazy? “You know what I need, Lord. Just give it to me, take
care of it, while I focus on my own interests.” Not only is this laziness, it
is pride, treating God like a servant whose role is to provide whatever I
need. We forget he is God. Certainly God is generous and loving, willing to
give us everything that is good for us; but he is still God, and he deserves
our respect, adoration, and especially our gratitude.
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, so often I expect you to take
care of me without my having to ask. Help me to live my dependence on you
through the practice of asking you for my needs. Increase my faith through my
prayer so that I see my real dependence on you and how much you do for me.
Resolution: What do I most need today? I will ask God
for it early and often.
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THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 10, LUKE 11:5-13(Malachi 3:13-20b; Psalm 1)
KEY VERSE: "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (v 9).
READING: After Jesus taught his followers the prayer that we call the "Lord's Prayer," he told them a parable on persevering in prayer: Ask! Seek! Knock! This parable sheds light upon Jesus' petition "Give us each day our daily bread" (v 3). In the story, a man came at night to ask his neighbor for bread to feed a friend who had just arrived. Although the neighbor's family was asleep, he gave in to the request because of the man's persistence. Jesus asked, if a friend was moved to give favors, how much more would the heavenly Father grant whatever his children needed? Would human parents give something harmful to their children when they asked for something to eat? If human beings with all their sinfulness are good to their children, how much greater is God's generosity? Luke changed Matthew's "good gifts" (Mt 7:11) to the "best" gift that the heavenly Father can give ̶ the "holy Spirit" (v 13).
REFLECTING: Do I believe that God is a good "Father" who will give what is best for me?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to persist in prayer whenever I become discouraged.
Happy are they who hope in the
Lord.
You say harsh things against me, says the Lord. You say, ‘It is
useless to serve God.’Forgive me, Lord, if at times I feel that way. Sometimes it can seem as if my daily cares have increased to the point where I can no longer cope. I feel abandoned. I try not to hold you responsible for my problems. But I do wonder why my path could not have been made lighter. I don’t want to see you as a harsh, demanding God. My deep desire is to imitate Jesus in the constant trust he placed in your loving care. Through Jesus give me a sharing in that trust he had in you even when going to his passion and death. With him let me see you as a forgiving Father, a caring Shepherd and a faithful Friend. Above all, I ask, in his name, the gift of perseverance in prayer.
October 10
St. Francis Borgia
(1510-1572)
St. Francis Borgia
(1510-1572)
Today's saint grew up in an important family in 16th-century
Spain, serving in the imperial court and quickly advancing in his career. But a
series of events—including the death of his beloved wife—made Francis Borgia
rethink his priorities. He gave up public life, gave away his possessions and
joined the new and little-known Society of Jesus.
Religious
life proved to be the right choice. He felt drawn to spend time in seclusion
and prayer, but his administrative talents also made him a natural for other tasks.
He helped in the establishment of what is now the Gregorian University in Rome.
Not long after his ordination he served as political and spiritual adviser to
the emperor. In Spain, he founded a dozen colleges.
At 55,
Francis was elected head of the Jesuits. He focused on the growth of the
Society of Jesus, the spiritual preparation of its new members and spreading
the faith in many parts of Europe. He was responsible for the founding of
Jesuit missions in Florida, Mexico and Peru.
Francis
Borgia is often regarded as the second founder of the Jesuits. He died in 1572
and was canonized 100 years later.
Patron Saint of:
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
LECTIO: LUKE
11,5-13
Lectio:
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 11,5-13
Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose one of you has a friend
and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me
three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my
house and I have nothing to offer him;" and the man answers from inside
the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are
with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you." I tell you, if the man
does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make
him get up and give his friend all he wants.
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?
If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today continues to speak about the theme of prayer,
which began with the teaching of the Our Father (Lk 11, 1-4). Today Jesus
teaches that we should pray with faith and insistence, without giving up. For
this he uses a provocative parable.
• Luke 11, 5-7: the parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, he has recourse to a comparison, to a parable. Today, he tells us a strange story which ends with a question, and he addresses the question to the people who listened to him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: ‘Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you". Before Jesus himself gives the answer, he wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
• Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If it were not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story in which it is suggested that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows. The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer, that is: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel, the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice and who pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from the insistence of the woman (Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws the conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
• Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find, if you knock the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, knock at the door, search, but the result is certain.
• Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application makes us see the type of public listening to the words of Jesus and also his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses he receives from them, the commitment with the message of the parable.
• Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, he breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit again, the same Spirit who made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13), and a help in the persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the Supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
• Luke 11, 5-7: the parable that provokes. As always when Jesus has an important thing to teach, he has recourse to a comparison, to a parable. Today, he tells us a strange story which ends with a question, and he addresses the question to the people who listened to him and also to us who today read or listen to the story. "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him; and the man answers from inside the house: ‘Do not bother me. The door is bolted now and my children are with me in bed: I cannot get up to give it to you". Before Jesus himself gives the answer, he wants our opinion. What would you answer: yes or no?
• Luke 11, 8: Jesus responds to the provocation. Jesus gives his response: "I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants". If it were not Jesus, would you have had the courage to invent a story in which it is suggested that God expects our prayers to see himself free from blows. The response of Jesus strengthens the message on prayer, that is: God always expects our prayer. This parable reminds us of another one, also found in Luke's Gospel, the parable of the widow who insists to obtain her rights before the judge who respects neither God nor justice and who pays attention to the widow only because he wants to free himself from the insistence of the woman (Lk 18, 3-5). Then Jesus draws the conclusion to apply the message of the parable to life.
• Luke 11, 9-10: the first application of the Parable. "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, everyone who knocks will have the door opened". To ask, to search, to knock at the door. If you ask, you will receive. If you search, you will find, if you knock the door will be opened for you. Jesus does not say how much time the request should last, knock at the door, search, but the result is certain.
• Luke 11, 11-12: the second application of the parable. "What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?" This second application makes us see the type of public listening to the words of Jesus and also his way of teaching under the form of dialogue. He asks: "You who are a father, when your son asks you for a fish, would you give him a snake?" The people answer: "No!" "And if he asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?" -"No!" Through dialogue, Jesus involves the people in the comparison and, from the responses he receives from them, the commitment with the message of the parable.
• Luke 11, 13: The message: to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "If you then evil as you are , know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!". The greatest gift that God has for us is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we were created, he breathed his spirit into our nose and we became living beings (Gen 2, 7). In the second creation through Faith in Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit again, the same Spirit who made the Word become incarnate in Mary (Lk 1, 35). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the process of the Incarnation of the Word continues up to the hour of his death on the Cross. At the end, at the hour of death, Jesus commits the spirit to the Father: "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Lk 23, 46). Jesus promises us this Spirit as the source of truth and of understanding (Jn 14, 14-17; 16, 13), and a help in the persecutions (Mt 10, 20; Ac 4, 31). This Spirit cannot be bought with money at the Supermarket. The only way of obtaining it is through prayer. After nine days of prayer the abundant gift of the Spirit is obtained on the day of Pentecost (Ac 1, 14; 2, 1-4).
4) Personal questions
• How do I respond to the provocation of the parable? A person
who lives in a small apartment in a large city, how will she answer? Would she
open the door?
• When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
• When you pray, do you pray convinced that you will obtain what you ask for?
5) Concluding prayer
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
Great are the deeds of Yahweh,
to be pondered by all who delight in them. (Ps 111,1-2)
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