Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 111
Lectionary: 111
In those days, the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah
is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out."
While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty."
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?"
The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?"
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out."
While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty."
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?"
The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?"
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."
Responsorial
Psalm PS 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
R.(3a) Lord,
on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Reading 2 COL 2:12-14
Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
AlleluiaROM 8:15BC
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
You have received a Spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, Abba, Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a Spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, Abba, Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
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 the visitor 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?"
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
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 the visitor 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:
"Give
us each day our daily bread"
Do
you pray with joy and confidence? The Jews were noted for their devotion to
prayer. Formal prayer was prescribed for three set times a day. And the rabbis
had a prayer for every occasion. It was also a custom for rabbis to teach their
disciples a simple prayer they might use on a regular basis. Jesus' disciples
ask him for such a prayer. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he gave them
the disciple's prayer, what we call the Our Father or Lord's
Prayer.
God
treats us as his own sons and daughters
What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only begotten Son who, reciprocally is Son only in relation to his Father (Matthew 11:27). All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). In the Lord Jesus Christ we are spiritually reborn and made new, and we become the adopted children of God (John 1:12-13; 3:3).
What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only begotten Son who, reciprocally is Son only in relation to his Father (Matthew 11:27). All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). In the Lord Jesus Christ we are spiritually reborn and made new, and we become the adopted children of God (John 1:12-13; 3:3).
We
can approach God confidently as a Father who loves us
Jesus teaches us to address God as "our Father" and to confidently ask him for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his atoning death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace (his favor and blessing) and mercy (pardon and healing). He is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same.
Jesus teaches us to address God as "our Father" and to confidently ask him for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his atoning death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace (his favor and blessing) and mercy (pardon and healing). He is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same.
We
can pray with expectant faith and trust in the Father's goodness
We can pray with expectant faith because our heavenly Father truly loves each one of us and and he treats us as his beloved sons and daughters. He delights to give us what is good. His love and grace transforms us and makes us like himself. Through his grace and power we can love and serve one another as Jesus taught - with mercy, pardon, and loving-kindness.
We can pray with expectant faith because our heavenly Father truly loves each one of us and and he treats us as his beloved sons and daughters. He delights to give us what is good. His love and grace transforms us and makes us like himself. Through his grace and power we can love and serve one another as Jesus taught - with mercy, pardon, and loving-kindness.
Do
you treat others as they deserve, or do you treat them as the Lord Jesus would
with grace and mercy? Jesus' prayer includes a petition that we must ask God to
forgive us in proportion as we forgive those who have wronged us (Matthew
6:14-15). God's grace frees us from every form of anger, resentment, envy, and
hatred. Are you ready to forgive others as the Lord Jesus forgives you?
Parable
of the late night guest
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 an illustration from the hospitality customs of his time to show how God is always ready to treat us with the best he has to offer. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required that every guest, whether stranger or friend, be warmly welcomed, refreshed (which often involved the washing of feet), and fed with the best food and drink available. It didn't matter what time of the day or night the guests might show up, it was your duty to stop what you were doing so you could give the guests the best care and shelter you could provide. If there wasn't adequate sleeping accommodation for both your guests and your family, the family slept outside under the stars. When guests showed up in a village, the whole community could be prevailed upon to provide whatever was needed.
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 an illustration from the hospitality customs of his time to show how God is always ready to treat us with the best he has to offer. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required that every guest, whether stranger or friend, be warmly welcomed, refreshed (which often involved the washing of feet), and fed with the best food and drink available. It didn't matter what time of the day or night the guests might show up, it was your duty to stop what you were doing so you could give the guests the best care and shelter you could provide. If there wasn't adequate sleeping accommodation for both your guests and your family, the family slept outside under the stars. When guests showed up in a village, the whole community could be prevailed upon to provide whatever was needed.
Jesus'
parable of the importunate and bothersome neighbor shows a worst case scenario
of what might happen when an unexpected guest shows up in the middle of the
night! The family awakens, unbolts the locked door to receive the guest, then
washes the guest's feet, and the wife begins to prepare a meal. When the wife
discovers that she has no bread to set before the guest, she prevails on her
husband to go and get bread from a nearby family, who by now is also asleep
with their door bolted shut. In a small village it would be easy for the wife
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.
God's
generosity towards us
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, will not God, our heavenly Father and provider, also treat us with kind and generous care no matter how troubling or inconvenient the circumstances might appear? Jesus states emphatically, How much more will the heavenly Father give! St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously." The Lord Jesus assures us that we can bring our needs to our heavenly Father who is always ready to give not only what we need, but more than we can ask. God gives the best he has. He freely pours out the blessing of his Holy Spirit upon us so that we may be filled with the abundance of his provision. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness towards you?
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, will not God, our heavenly Father and provider, also treat us with kind and generous care no matter how troubling or inconvenient the circumstances might appear? Jesus states emphatically, How much more will the heavenly Father give! St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously." The Lord Jesus assures us that we can bring our needs to our heavenly Father who is always ready to give not only what we need, but more than we can ask. God gives the best he has. He freely pours out the blessing of his Holy Spirit upon us so that we may be filled with the abundance of his provision. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness towards you?
"Father
in heaven, you have given me a mind to know you, a will to serve you, and a
heart to love you. Give me today the grace and strength to embrace your holy
will and fill my heart with your love that all my intentions and actions may be
pleasing to you. Help me to be kind and forgiving towards my neighbor as you
have been towards me".
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The privilege and responsibility of
calling God Father, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"For
the Savior said, 'When you pray, say, 'Our Father.' And another of the holy
Evangelists adds, 'who art in heaven' (Matthew 6:9)... He gives his own glory
to us. He raises slaves to the dignity of freedom. He crowns the human
condition with such honor as surpasses the power of nature. He brings to pass
what was spoken of old by the voice of the psalmist: 'I said, you are gods, and
all of you children of the Most High' (Psalm 82:6). He rescues us from the
measure of slavery, giving us by his grace what we did not possess by nature,
and permits us to call God 'Father,' as being admitted to the rank of sons. We
received this, together with all our other privileges, from him. One of these
privileges is the dignity of freedom, a gift peculiarly befitting those who
have been called to be sons. He commands us, therefore, to take boldness and
say in our prayers, 'Our Father.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY
ON LUKE, HOMILY 71)
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Genesis 18:20-32
Unusual though the circumstance is, this week’s Old Testament reading continues the Old Testament reading we heard last week. As you will recall, last week we heard of Abraham’s encounter with the three visitors and the promise of a son (Genesis 18:1-10). Today we hear of Abraham’s bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom. This story expresses our need to pray for ourselves and for others, as Abraham did. It also shows that prayers are heard.
20 [In those days,] the LORD said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, 21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.”
This represents what is thought to be a primitive theology (see also Genesis 11:5 – the Tower of Babel) wherein God does not see all – but receives reports.
22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
In last week’s reading, Abraham received three visitors: The Lord (God) and two angels. This is a continuation of that story. The two angels go off to investigate Sodom; Abraham stays behind to stand before Yahweh, into whose confidence he has been taken.
the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Abraham wants to know whether the judge of all the world will deal justly. Abraham, though conscious of the distance between himself and God, dares to commence bargaining with God to the point that only ten righteous suffice to avert destruction.
24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?” 26 The LORD replied, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! 28 What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” “I will not destroy it,” he answered, “if I find forty-five there.” 29 But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied, “I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there.” 31 Still he went on, “Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” “I will not destroy it,” he answered, “for the sake of the twenty.” 32 But he still persisted: “Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?” “For the sake of those ten,” he replied, “I will not destroy it.”
Ten is the natural limit in Abraham’s questioning; below that number God can save individuals within the city as will happen with Lot.
2nd Reading - Colossians 2:12-14
Last week we heard Paul tell of his role in proclaiming the gospel. This week we hear him as he answers the Judaizers. To better understand today’s reading, it is necessary to back up one verse: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ.”
The “circumcision of Christ” to which Paul refers is baptism. In the Old Covenant, the rite of initiation into God’s family was circumcision. In the New Covenant, this same rite of initiation is baptism. In the Old Covenant, the mark was on the physical body but under the New Covenant, the mark is placed on the soul.
12 You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
See Romans 6:3-6. In Romans 6:5, those who have died with Christ in baptism will in the future be united with Him in resurrection; in Colossians this resurrection has already happened.
“And on that night of His passion and death He showed them the Sacrament of Baptism, just as the Apostle has stated: ‘You have been buried with Him in Baptism unto death, and you have risen up with Him in the power of God (Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12).’ Know then, my beloved, that the Baptism of John was of no value for the forgiveness of sins, but for repentance.” [Aphraates the Persian Sage (between A.D. 336-345), Treatises 12,10]
13 And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him,
Saint Paul is directing the teaching to the members of the community, pagan converts. He is describing the result of being in union with Christ, the forgiveness of sins. When they were baptized, all prior sins were forgiven (see Acts 2:38).
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
Baptismal regeneration. Baptism forgives all previous sins.
14 obliterating the bond against us,
This word translated as “bond” is found only here in the New Testament and is used to indicate a handwritten bond of debt. The indebtedness may be the necessity of paying the penalty for an infraction of the Law – death was punishment for disobedience. The covenant curse of death came upon all mankind because of the sin of Adam.
with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
Mankind could not be redeemed until this debt had been paid, by Jesus, through His offering on the cross.
“See to it that we do not again become debtors to the old contract. Christ came once; he found the certificate of our ancestral indebtedness which Adam wrote and signed. Adam contracted the debt; by our subsequent sins we increased the amount owed. In this contract are written a curse, and sin, and death and the condemnation of the Law. Christ took all these away and pardoned them. Saint Paul cries out and says: ‘The decree of our sins which was against us, he has taken it completely away, nailing it to the cross.’ He did not say ‘erasing the decree,’ nor did he say ‘blotting it out,’ but ‘nailing it to the cross,’ so that no trace of it might remain. This is why he did not erase it but tore it to pieces.” [Saint John Chrysostom (ca. A.D. 388-389), Baptismal Catecheses 3,21]
Gospel - Luke 11:1-13
Having heard the parable of the good Samaritan two weeks ago and the visit to Martha and Mary’s home last week, this week we hear Luke’s rendition of the “Our Father” and Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Luke’s version of the “Our Father” is different enough from Matthew’s version to indicate that each must stem from a separate liturgical tradition in the early Church. In Matthew there are seven petitions, in Luke only four. Both forms have been translated into Aramaic and this shows that both versions were composed in rhyme; a type of poetry that can be traced to Jewish synagogal prayers of the 1st century A.D.. The Church uses the longer form of the Lord’s prayer, that of Saint Matthew in the Mass.
11:1 He was praying in a certain place,
Recall that Jesus always prays just before something of theological significance in Luke’s gospel.
and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
To have its own distinctive form of prayer was the mark of a religious community. Jesus will not only teach them to pray, but how to live out the prayer and act as His followers.
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father,
When our Lord prays, He begins with the word “Father”. Father into thy hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46). We can say that the first characteristic prayer should have is the simplicity of a child speaking to its father.
hallowed be your name,
In this first petition to our Father, we pray God may be known, lived, honored and served by everyone; and by ourselves in particular. This means that we want unbelievers to come to a knowledge of the true God, heretics to recognize their errors, schismatics to return to the unity of the Church, sinners to be converted, and the righteous to persevere in doing good. By this first petition, our Lord is teaching us that we must desire God’s glory more than our own interest and advantage.
your kingdom come.
By the kingdom of God we understand a triple spiritual kingdom: the kingdom of God in us, which is grace; the kingdom of God on earth, which is the Church; and the kingdom of God in heaven, which is eternal bliss. We pray that God reign in us with His sanctifying grace; we pray that His Church extend and spread all over the world for the salvation of men; and we pray that one day we be admitted to that eternal bliss for which we have been created.
3 Give us each day our daily bread
The tradition of the Church usually interprets the bread as not only material bread, since “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). Here Jesus wants us to ask God for “what we need each day for soul and body.” For our soul we ask God to sustain our spiritual life, that is, we beg Him to give us His grace, of which we are continually in need. The life of our soul is sustained mainly by the divine Word and by the Eucharist.
4 and forgive us our sins
Luke has “sins” in place of Matthew’s “debts”.
for we ourselves forgive
Here is the only instance in the “Our Father” of an action on the Christian’s part. So rigorously does God exact from us forgetfulness of injuries and mutual affection and love, that He rejects and despises gifts and sacrifices of those who are not reconciled to one another (Matthew 5:23-24).
everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
The final onslaught of the demon. The disciples pray that their ever loving God will preserve them from apostasy from the Christian Way.
5 And he said to them,
Only Luke gives this parable which teaches that one of the essential features of prayer is trusting perseverance. Our Lord encourages us not to desist in asking God to hear us, Persevere even when your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful. Saint Monica prayed for Saint Augustine’s conversion for thirty years before it happened.
“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 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.
The entire family slept on a mat in the raised part of a single-roomed peasant house.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8 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. 9 “And I tell you,
We have Jesus’ personal assurance so keep on asking, seeking, knocking... Since these verbs have no object, Jesus is not teaching what to pray for, but how to pray.
ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give
Our Lord uses the example of human parenthood as a comparison to stress again the wonderful fact that God is our Father, for God’s Fatherhood is the source of parenthood in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 3:15).
the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
The loving Father now leads us gently to Himself through the action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Genesis 18:20-32
Unusual though the circumstance is, this week’s Old Testament reading continues the Old Testament reading we heard last week. As you will recall, last week we heard of Abraham’s encounter with the three visitors and the promise of a son (Genesis 18:1-10). Today we hear of Abraham’s bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom. This story expresses our need to pray for ourselves and for others, as Abraham did. It also shows that prayers are heard.
20 [In those days,] the LORD said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, 21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.”
This represents what is thought to be a primitive theology (see also Genesis 11:5 – the Tower of Babel) wherein God does not see all – but receives reports.
22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
In last week’s reading, Abraham received three visitors: The Lord (God) and two angels. This is a continuation of that story. The two angels go off to investigate Sodom; Abraham stays behind to stand before Yahweh, into whose confidence he has been taken.
the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Abraham wants to know whether the judge of all the world will deal justly. Abraham, though conscious of the distance between himself and God, dares to commence bargaining with God to the point that only ten righteous suffice to avert destruction.
24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?” 26 The LORD replied, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! 28 What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” “I will not destroy it,” he answered, “if I find forty-five there.” 29 But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied, “I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there.” 31 Still he went on, “Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” “I will not destroy it,” he answered, “for the sake of the twenty.” 32 But he still persisted: “Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?” “For the sake of those ten,” he replied, “I will not destroy it.”
Ten is the natural limit in Abraham’s questioning; below that number God can save individuals within the city as will happen with Lot.
2nd Reading - Colossians 2:12-14
Last week we heard Paul tell of his role in proclaiming the gospel. This week we hear him as he answers the Judaizers. To better understand today’s reading, it is necessary to back up one verse: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ.”
The “circumcision of Christ” to which Paul refers is baptism. In the Old Covenant, the rite of initiation into God’s family was circumcision. In the New Covenant, this same rite of initiation is baptism. In the Old Covenant, the mark was on the physical body but under the New Covenant, the mark is placed on the soul.
12 You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
See Romans 6:3-6. In Romans 6:5, those who have died with Christ in baptism will in the future be united with Him in resurrection; in Colossians this resurrection has already happened.
“And on that night of His passion and death He showed them the Sacrament of Baptism, just as the Apostle has stated: ‘You have been buried with Him in Baptism unto death, and you have risen up with Him in the power of God (Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12).’ Know then, my beloved, that the Baptism of John was of no value for the forgiveness of sins, but for repentance.” [Aphraates the Persian Sage (between A.D. 336-345), Treatises 12,10]
13 And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him,
Saint Paul is directing the teaching to the members of the community, pagan converts. He is describing the result of being in union with Christ, the forgiveness of sins. When they were baptized, all prior sins were forgiven (see Acts 2:38).
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
Baptismal regeneration. Baptism forgives all previous sins.
14 obliterating the bond against us,
This word translated as “bond” is found only here in the New Testament and is used to indicate a handwritten bond of debt. The indebtedness may be the necessity of paying the penalty for an infraction of the Law – death was punishment for disobedience. The covenant curse of death came upon all mankind because of the sin of Adam.
with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
Mankind could not be redeemed until this debt had been paid, by Jesus, through His offering on the cross.
“See to it that we do not again become debtors to the old contract. Christ came once; he found the certificate of our ancestral indebtedness which Adam wrote and signed. Adam contracted the debt; by our subsequent sins we increased the amount owed. In this contract are written a curse, and sin, and death and the condemnation of the Law. Christ took all these away and pardoned them. Saint Paul cries out and says: ‘The decree of our sins which was against us, he has taken it completely away, nailing it to the cross.’ He did not say ‘erasing the decree,’ nor did he say ‘blotting it out,’ but ‘nailing it to the cross,’ so that no trace of it might remain. This is why he did not erase it but tore it to pieces.” [Saint John Chrysostom (ca. A.D. 388-389), Baptismal Catecheses 3,21]
Gospel - Luke 11:1-13
Having heard the parable of the good Samaritan two weeks ago and the visit to Martha and Mary’s home last week, this week we hear Luke’s rendition of the “Our Father” and Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Luke’s version of the “Our Father” is different enough from Matthew’s version to indicate that each must stem from a separate liturgical tradition in the early Church. In Matthew there are seven petitions, in Luke only four. Both forms have been translated into Aramaic and this shows that both versions were composed in rhyme; a type of poetry that can be traced to Jewish synagogal prayers of the 1st century A.D.. The Church uses the longer form of the Lord’s prayer, that of Saint Matthew in the Mass.
11:1 He was praying in a certain place,
Recall that Jesus always prays just before something of theological significance in Luke’s gospel.
and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
To have its own distinctive form of prayer was the mark of a religious community. Jesus will not only teach them to pray, but how to live out the prayer and act as His followers.
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father,
When our Lord prays, He begins with the word “Father”. Father into thy hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46). We can say that the first characteristic prayer should have is the simplicity of a child speaking to its father.
hallowed be your name,
In this first petition to our Father, we pray God may be known, lived, honored and served by everyone; and by ourselves in particular. This means that we want unbelievers to come to a knowledge of the true God, heretics to recognize their errors, schismatics to return to the unity of the Church, sinners to be converted, and the righteous to persevere in doing good. By this first petition, our Lord is teaching us that we must desire God’s glory more than our own interest and advantage.
your kingdom come.
By the kingdom of God we understand a triple spiritual kingdom: the kingdom of God in us, which is grace; the kingdom of God on earth, which is the Church; and the kingdom of God in heaven, which is eternal bliss. We pray that God reign in us with His sanctifying grace; we pray that His Church extend and spread all over the world for the salvation of men; and we pray that one day we be admitted to that eternal bliss for which we have been created.
3 Give us each day our daily bread
The tradition of the Church usually interprets the bread as not only material bread, since “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). Here Jesus wants us to ask God for “what we need each day for soul and body.” For our soul we ask God to sustain our spiritual life, that is, we beg Him to give us His grace, of which we are continually in need. The life of our soul is sustained mainly by the divine Word and by the Eucharist.
4 and forgive us our sins
Luke has “sins” in place of Matthew’s “debts”.
for we ourselves forgive
Here is the only instance in the “Our Father” of an action on the Christian’s part. So rigorously does God exact from us forgetfulness of injuries and mutual affection and love, that He rejects and despises gifts and sacrifices of those who are not reconciled to one another (Matthew 5:23-24).
everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
The final onslaught of the demon. The disciples pray that their ever loving God will preserve them from apostasy from the Christian Way.
5 And he said to them,
Only Luke gives this parable which teaches that one of the essential features of prayer is trusting perseverance. Our Lord encourages us not to desist in asking God to hear us, Persevere even when your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful. Saint Monica prayed for Saint Augustine’s conversion for thirty years before it happened.
“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 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.
The entire family slept on a mat in the raised part of a single-roomed peasant house.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8 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. 9 “And I tell you,
We have Jesus’ personal assurance so keep on asking, seeking, knocking... Since these verbs have no object, Jesus is not teaching what to pray for, but how to pray.
ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give
Our Lord uses the example of human parenthood as a comparison to stress again the wonderful fact that God is our Father, for God’s Fatherhood is the source of parenthood in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 3:15).
the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
The loving Father now leads us gently to Himself through the action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, JULY 28, LUKE 11:1-13
(Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:12-14)
SUNDAY, JULY 28, LUKE 11:1-13
(Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:12-14)
KEY VERSE: "Lord, teach us to pray" (v. 1).
TO KNOW: Throughout Luke’s gospel, Jesus is shown praying at every important moment of his life. It was in observing Jesus at prayer that moved his disciples to ask him to teach them how to pray, and he gave them the "Lord’s Prayer" (Lk 11:1-4). In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father" (Matt 6:9). We experience God’s fatherhood not as isolated individuals but as members of the Church. By contrast, Luke’s gospel simply says, “Father” (Lk 11:2), which expresses Jesus' unique relationship with God whom he called “Abba, Father.” Spend time meditating on each line of the Lord's Prayer in Luke's gospel, making it your own: "Father" ... Do I live like a son or daughter of God? ... "Hallowed be your name"... Do I respect the Lord's name? ... "Your Kingdom come"... Do I work to bring about the reign of God? ... "Your will be done" . . . Do I pray for God's will or my will to be done? . . . "Give us each day our daily bread" ... Do I trust God to provide for my daily needs? ... "Forgive us our sins" ... Do I believe that God can absolve me of my sins? ..."As we forgive everyone who trespasses against us" ... Am I willing to forgive and forget the sins of others? ... "Deliver us from evil" ... What is the greatest evil that I need to resist? Pray that you will not fail God in times of trial.
TO LOVE: Do I teach others how to pray?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, teach me how to pray.
Sunday 28 July 2019
17TH WEEK
Week I Psalter
17th Sunday In Ordinary Time
Genesis 18:20-32. Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6-8. Colossians 2:12-14. Luke 11:1-13.
Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me – Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6-8
‘Lord, teach us to pray.’
17th Sunday In Ordinary Time
Genesis 18:20-32. Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6-8. Colossians 2:12-14. Luke 11:1-13.
Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me – Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6-8
‘Lord, teach us to pray.’
This request from one of his disciples captures a desire on the
part of Jesus’ closest followers to learn from him how he would like them to
pray. Like them, we seek to learn a prayer that will be an entry point to a
deeper relationship. In a few words, the prayer acknowledges the Father and his
kingdom. We call on him to sustain us with daily food; we beg forgiveness of
sins; and we renew our commitment to forgiving others. Finally, we ask for the
Father’s help when confronting evil.
Through their association with Jesus, the disciples know very
well that this prayer reflected the way Jesus lived his life. The prayer became
central to their life of faith, before being passed on down through the
generations to us. Let us ask for the grace to return again to this prayer
today and all days.
Blessed Stanley Rother
Saint of the Day for July 28
(March 27, 1935 – July 28, 1981)
 |
| Blessed Stanley Rother | CNS photo/Charlene Scott |
Blessed Stanley Rother’s Story
On May 25, 1963, Stanley Rother, a farmer from Okarche,
Oklahoma, was ordained for his home diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa. Having
flunked out of the area seminary due to his difficulty with Latin, Fr.
Rother finally accepted an invitation to attend Mount St. Mary Seminary in
Maryland, where he finished his studies and was approved for ordination.
After serving in his local diocese for five years, Fr. Rother
joined five priests, three religious sisters, and three laypersons to staff a
Guatemalan mission in Santiago Atitlán serving the Tz’utujil people. The
Oklahoma City diocese heard the call of Pope John XXIII to send missionaries to
foreign lands, especially Central America. These twelve individuals felt the
call, and with their bishop’s approval, left the comforts of the United States
to live and work in Guatemala.
By 1975, Fr. Rother was alone at his parish in Santiago Atitlán,
the others having returned home for various reasons. He served the Tz’utujil
people for 13 years and won their hearts and souls. Ever the farmer, and always
unpretentious and mild mannered, Fr. Rother experimented with various crops as
well as fulfilling his heavy pastoral duties which included as many as five Masses
in four different locations on a given Sunday and as many as 1,000 baptisms a
year.
Guatemala’s civil war reached the highlands and Lake Atitlán by
1980. Government troops camped on the parish farm and Fr. Rother witnessed the
assassination of a number of his parishioners, including the parish deacon.
Warned of imminent danger, Fr. Rother returned to the United
States for three months early in 1981, to visit with his family and friends.
Against the advice of his family and the local bishop, Fr. Rother returned to
Atitlán to be with his people. He remembered a Sisters’ community who had fled
the country and later tried to return but the people asked, “Where were you
when we needed you?”
On the evening of July 28, three masked men entered the rectory
and shot Fr. Rother to death. His beloved parishioners mourned him repeatedly
crying, “They have killed our priest.”
Pope Francis declared Stanley Rother a martyr on December 2,
2016. He was beatified in Oklahoma City on September 23, 2017.
Reflection
The declaration of a blessed or saint is always a celebration of
the Church as the people of God. To single out an individual for his or her
holiness and service builds up the entire community of faith. But this is
doubly true for the Church in the United States and in Oklahoma, as one of our
own is both declared a martyr for the faith and enrolled in the ranks of those
declared Blessed by the Church. May the dedication, faith, and service of
Blessed Stanley Rother be a source of strength for all in this country.
Lectio Divina: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)
Lectio Divina
Sunday, July 28, 2019
The prayer of the Master
the prayer of the disciples
Luke 11:1-13
the prayer of the disciples
Luke 11:1-13
1. Opening prayer
Father of all mercies,
in the Name of Christ Your Son, we implore You,
send us the Gift,
pour Your Spirit into us!
in the Name of Christ Your Son, we implore You,
send us the Gift,
pour Your Spirit into us!
Spirit, Paraclete,
teach us to pray in truth
in the new temple
who is the Christ.
teach us to pray in truth
in the new temple
who is the Christ.
Spirit, faithful to the Father and to us,
as the dove has its nest,
plead within us incessantly with the Father,
because we do not know how to pray.
as the dove has its nest,
plead within us incessantly with the Father,
because we do not know how to pray.
Spirit of Christ,
first gift to us believers,
pray within us tirelessly to the Father,
as the Son taught us. Amen.
first gift to us believers,
pray within us tirelessly to the Father,
as the Son taught us. Amen.
2. Reading
a) To help us understand the passage:
The Gospel passage is divided into three sections:
vv. 1-4: the prayer that Jesus taught,
vv. 5-8: the parable of the insistent friend,
vv. 9-13: the teaching on the efficacy of prayer.
vv. 1-4: the prayer that Jesus taught,
vv. 5-8: the parable of the insistent friend,
vv. 9-13: the teaching on the efficacy of prayer.
b) The text:
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John
taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and
forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not
subject us to the final test." 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 the visitor 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?"
3. A moment of prayerful silence
- Like the disciples, we too come together around Jesus who
prays alone. We gather around Him and in Him all our energies, every thought,
every commitment and preoccupation, our hopes and pains…
- Today it is we who are those disciples who see the Master praying and allow ourselves to be involved in His prayer, which was and is quite special.
- Today His words are addressed to us, the invitation to trust in the love of the Father is addressed to us. We are so taken up with material things, so much seeking “all and immediately”, so spellbound by a thousand things, that then (and only “then”, after some event that shakes us) we discover that they are all really superfluous…
- Today it is up to us to give voice to the prayer of the Master: Father, hallowed be Your name…
- Today it is we who are those disciples who see the Master praying and allow ourselves to be involved in His prayer, which was and is quite special.
- Today His words are addressed to us, the invitation to trust in the love of the Father is addressed to us. We are so taken up with material things, so much seeking “all and immediately”, so spellbound by a thousand things, that then (and only “then”, after some event that shakes us) we discover that they are all really superfluous…
- Today it is up to us to give voice to the prayer of the Master: Father, hallowed be Your name…
4. Some questions
Let us use this occasion to examine our way of praying:
* What does praying mean for me: An obligation? A pause in the search for myself? Presenting God with a list of requests? A pause in the company of the Father? A simple and trusting dialogue with the One who loves me?
* How much time do I give to prayer: some every day? Once a week or once a month? Occasionally? Systematically? Do I wait until I “feel the need” to pray?
* What is the starting point of my prayer: is it the Word of God? Is it the saint or the liturgical feast of the day? Is it devotion to our Lady? Is it an illustration or icon? Is it the events of my life or those of the history of the world?
* Whom do I meet when I pray: looking deep into myself, when I pray do I speak to one whom I feel to be a judge or to a friend? Do I feel Him to be an “equal” or someone who is “holy”, infinite or unattainable? Is He near to me or far and indifferent? Is He my Father or my master? Does He care for me or “is He busy with His own affairs”?
* How do I pray: do I pray a little mechanically, using set formulae? Do I pray using passages from the psalms or other biblical texts? Liturgical texts? Do I choose to pray spontaneously? Do I look for texts using beautiful words or do I prefer to repeat a short phrase? How do I use “the Lord’s prayer”? Do I more often find myself invoking God for some need or to praise Him in the liturgy or to contemplate Him in silence? Am I able to pray while I am working or in any place or only when I am in church? Am I able to make liturgical prayer my own? What place does the Mother of God have in my prayer?
* What does praying mean for me: An obligation? A pause in the search for myself? Presenting God with a list of requests? A pause in the company of the Father? A simple and trusting dialogue with the One who loves me?
* How much time do I give to prayer: some every day? Once a week or once a month? Occasionally? Systematically? Do I wait until I “feel the need” to pray?
* What is the starting point of my prayer: is it the Word of God? Is it the saint or the liturgical feast of the day? Is it devotion to our Lady? Is it an illustration or icon? Is it the events of my life or those of the history of the world?
* Whom do I meet when I pray: looking deep into myself, when I pray do I speak to one whom I feel to be a judge or to a friend? Do I feel Him to be an “equal” or someone who is “holy”, infinite or unattainable? Is He near to me or far and indifferent? Is He my Father or my master? Does He care for me or “is He busy with His own affairs”?
* How do I pray: do I pray a little mechanically, using set formulae? Do I pray using passages from the psalms or other biblical texts? Liturgical texts? Do I choose to pray spontaneously? Do I look for texts using beautiful words or do I prefer to repeat a short phrase? How do I use “the Lord’s prayer”? Do I more often find myself invoking God for some need or to praise Him in the liturgy or to contemplate Him in silence? Am I able to pray while I am working or in any place or only when I am in church? Am I able to make liturgical prayer my own? What place does the Mother of God have in my prayer?
5. A key to the reading
This passage presents prayer as one of the fundamental
requirements and a key point in the life of a disciple of Jesus and of the
community of disciples.
vv. 1-4: Jesus, like other great religious
masters of His time, teaches His followers a prayer that will define them: the
“Our Father”.
a) Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had
finished one of His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray”: Jesus goes
aside to pray. In Luke’s Gospel He does this often (5:16), above all just
before important events: before choosing the Twelve (6:12-13), before
soliciting Peter’s confession of faith (9:18-20), before the transfiguration
(9:28-29) and, finally, before the passion (22:40-45).
As Jesus prays, He arouses in His disciples the desire to pray like Him. Clearly, it is a prayer that shows itself externally in a very special way and that certainly affects His preaching. The disciples understand that such a prayer is quite different from that taught by other spiritual masters in Israel or even by the precursor of Jesus. That is why they ask Him to teach them to pray. Thus, the prayer that Jesus passes on to His disciples becomes the characteristic expression of their ideal and identity, of their way of relating to God and among themselves.
As Jesus prays, He arouses in His disciples the desire to pray like Him. Clearly, it is a prayer that shows itself externally in a very special way and that certainly affects His preaching. The disciples understand that such a prayer is quite different from that taught by other spiritual masters in Israel or even by the precursor of Jesus. That is why they ask Him to teach them to pray. Thus, the prayer that Jesus passes on to His disciples becomes the characteristic expression of their ideal and identity, of their way of relating to God and among themselves.
b) Father: The first thing that Jesus teaches on prayer
is to call God “Father”. Luke, unlike Matthew, does not add the adjective
“our”, putting less emphasis on the communal aspect of the Christian prayer.
However, the fact of invoking the Father constitutes the best adhesive element
of the community of disciples.
For a Jew of the first century, relationship with one’s father was one of intimacy, but also a recognition of the father’s authority over every member of the family. This is reflected in the Christian custom of calling God “Father”, whereas there is no certain evidence that the Jews of the time used to call God with the intimate term of “abba”. This term is none other than the emphatic form of the Aramaic “ ’ab”, the familiar and respectful term used for earthly fathers.
The fact that Jesus used to turn to God and called him abba, shows the new kind of relationship that He, and therefore His disciples, establish with God: a relationship of closeness, familiarity and trust.
In the classical scheme of biblical prayer, the first part of the “Our Father” deals directly with God, whereas the second part refers to the needs of humankind in its earthly existence.
For a Jew of the first century, relationship with one’s father was one of intimacy, but also a recognition of the father’s authority over every member of the family. This is reflected in the Christian custom of calling God “Father”, whereas there is no certain evidence that the Jews of the time used to call God with the intimate term of “abba”. This term is none other than the emphatic form of the Aramaic “ ’ab”, the familiar and respectful term used for earthly fathers.
The fact that Jesus used to turn to God and called him abba, shows the new kind of relationship that He, and therefore His disciples, establish with God: a relationship of closeness, familiarity and trust.
In the classical scheme of biblical prayer, the first part of the “Our Father” deals directly with God, whereas the second part refers to the needs of humankind in its earthly existence.
c) Father, hallowed be Your name: in the
message of the prophets of Israel, it is God who “sanctifies His own Name”
(that is, Himself: “the name is the person”) intervening with power in human
history, notwithstanding that Israel and the other peoples have dishonored Him.
In Ezekiel we read: “But when they came to the nations, wherever they
came, they profaned My holy Name, in that men said of them, 'These are the
people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of His land.' But I had concern
for My holy Name, which the house of Israel caused to be profaned among the
nations to which they came. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus
says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about
to act, but for the sake of My holy Name, which you have profaned among the
nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name,
which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among
them; and the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when
through you I vindicate My holiness before their eyes. For I will take you from
the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own
land.” (36:20-24). On the same subject we may also read: Deut 32:51; Isa 29:22; Ezek 28:22,25.
The subject of the verb “to hallow”, in Lk 11:2, is God Himself: we are faced with a “theological passive”. This likely means that the first petition of this prayer does not concern human beings and their unquestionable duty to honor and respect God, but God the Father Himself who must make Himself known as such to all. Thus, we petition God to reveal Himself in His sovereign greatness: this is an invocation with eschatological connotations, closely connected with the petition which follows.
The subject of the verb “to hallow”, in Lk 11:2, is God Himself: we are faced with a “theological passive”. This likely means that the first petition of this prayer does not concern human beings and their unquestionable duty to honor and respect God, but God the Father Himself who must make Himself known as such to all. Thus, we petition God to reveal Himself in His sovereign greatness: this is an invocation with eschatological connotations, closely connected with the petition which follows.
d) Your Kingdom come: the great event proclaimed by
Jesus is the definitive coming of the Kingdom of God among us: “Be sure of
this: the Kingdom of God is very near” (Lk 10:11;
cf. also Mt 10: 7). The prayer of Jesus and of the Christian,
then, is in close harmony with this proclamation. Asking in this prayer that
this Kingdom be ever more visibly present, has, in fact, two effects: the
person praying has to come face to face with the eschatological design of God,
but also with the obligation of a radical willingness to serve His will of
salvation. Thus, if it is true that we may, and must, present our needs to God
the Father, it is also true that Christian prayer never has man and woman for its
end, it is never a selfish petition, but its ultimate end is to glorify God,
implore His full closeness, His complete manifestation: “Set your hearts on
His kingdom, and these other things will be given you as well” (Lk 12:31).
e) Give us this day our daily bread: we have
come to the second part of the Lord’s prayer. The person praying has now put
into place the correct and intimate relationship with God, and now lives in the
logic of closeness to God who is Father and his/her petitions flow from this way
of life.
In Jesus’ time as in ours (almost!), bread is the most necessary food, the primary nourishment. In this case, however, “bread” stands for food in general, and more, all kinds of material needs of the disciples.
The English term “bread” is a translation of the Greek “epiousion”, found also in Matthew but not in any other Greek biblical or profane text. This makes it difficult to give a really reliable version, so much so that we are constrained to translate it according to the context.
What is clear, however, is that the disciple who is praying in this way, is aware of not having much material security for the future, not even for his/her daily food: he/she has really “left everything behind” to follow Christ (cf. Lk 5:11). Here we are dealing with a situation characteristic of the early generations of Christians. This is not to say that the prayer for “bread” may not be very useful for Christians of today: we are all called to receive all things from Providence, as a free gift from God, even if these things come from the labor of our hands. The Eucharistic offertory reminds us of this all the time: we offer to God that which we know well we have received from Him so that we may receive it back from His hands. This also means that the Christian of every age must not be preoccupied with his/her material situation, because the Father will take care of him: “That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life means more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Lk 12:22-23).
In Jesus’ time as in ours (almost!), bread is the most necessary food, the primary nourishment. In this case, however, “bread” stands for food in general, and more, all kinds of material needs of the disciples.
The English term “bread” is a translation of the Greek “epiousion”, found also in Matthew but not in any other Greek biblical or profane text. This makes it difficult to give a really reliable version, so much so that we are constrained to translate it according to the context.
What is clear, however, is that the disciple who is praying in this way, is aware of not having much material security for the future, not even for his/her daily food: he/she has really “left everything behind” to follow Christ (cf. Lk 5:11). Here we are dealing with a situation characteristic of the early generations of Christians. This is not to say that the prayer for “bread” may not be very useful for Christians of today: we are all called to receive all things from Providence, as a free gift from God, even if these things come from the labor of our hands. The Eucharistic offertory reminds us of this all the time: we offer to God that which we know well we have received from Him so that we may receive it back from His hands. This also means that the Christian of every age must not be preoccupied with his/her material situation, because the Father will take care of him: “That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life means more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Lk 12:22-23).
f) Forgive us our sins, as we ourselves forgive each one who is
in debt to us: The Christian, immersed in the salvation given by the Father
with the coming of His kingdom, know that all his/her sins are already forgiven
when we ask. This places him/her in the condition and obligation of having to
forgive others, thus allowing God to render the pardon of the Christian capable
of pardoning (cf. Mt18:23-35).
We are always hovering between the kingdom “already” present and kingdom “not yet” attained. A Christian who behaves contrary to the salvation already received from God in Christ, renders useless the forgiveness he/she has already received. That is why Luke says: “for we ourselves forgive”. Luke does not wish to place us humans on the same level as God, but only to make us aware that we can frustrate the saving work of God, within which the Father has willed to include us as an active element, to extend His every free pardon to all. This linking of our forgiveness with our forgiveness of others is also described in the parable of the debtor and the king (Mt 18:21-35).
We are always hovering between the kingdom “already” present and kingdom “not yet” attained. A Christian who behaves contrary to the salvation already received from God in Christ, renders useless the forgiveness he/she has already received. That is why Luke says: “for we ourselves forgive”. Luke does not wish to place us humans on the same level as God, but only to make us aware that we can frustrate the saving work of God, within which the Father has willed to include us as an active element, to extend His every free pardon to all. This linking of our forgiveness with our forgiveness of others is also described in the parable of the debtor and the king (Mt 18:21-35).
vv. 5-8: more than a parable, this is a
similitude, because it illustrates a typical behavior that arouses in listeners
a unequivocal and spontaneous reply. In this case, it would be difficult to
find anyone who would spontaneously reply “no one!” to the question “Which
of you…?” (v. 5) Thus, this passage wishes to show us how God acts
through the filter of human behavior, which is a poor copy of the behavior of
the Father.
The scene takes place in a Palestinian situation. Usually, anyone going on a journey would start at sunset in order to avoid the very high temperatures of daytime. In Palestinian houses at that time, there was only one room and the whole family used it for all the activities during the day as well as for sleeping at night by just spreading straw mats on the floor.
The request of the man who suddenly has to receive an unexpected guest in the middle of the night, reflects a typical sense of hospitality in ancient peoples, and the explanation of the request for “three loaves” (v. 5) is that this was the normal meal for an adult.
The man who has recourse to his friend at night is the image of a disciple of Christ, called to pray to God always and everywhere, full of trust that he/she will be heard, not because he/she has worn Him out, but because He is a merciful Father who is faithful to His promises. Thus the parable shows us how a disciple should pray the “Our Father”: with complete trust in God, loving and just Father, a trust that goes even to cheekiness, that is to “disturbing Him” at any time and to insist with Him in every way, certain of being answered.
Prayer, as a basic attitude of every Christian who wishes to really be a disciple of Jesus, is well expressed by the apostle Paul: “Pray always, in all things give thanks; this indeed is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”(1Thess 5:17-18) ; “Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints” (Eph 6: 18).
The scene takes place in a Palestinian situation. Usually, anyone going on a journey would start at sunset in order to avoid the very high temperatures of daytime. In Palestinian houses at that time, there was only one room and the whole family used it for all the activities during the day as well as for sleeping at night by just spreading straw mats on the floor.
The request of the man who suddenly has to receive an unexpected guest in the middle of the night, reflects a typical sense of hospitality in ancient peoples, and the explanation of the request for “three loaves” (v. 5) is that this was the normal meal for an adult.
The man who has recourse to his friend at night is the image of a disciple of Christ, called to pray to God always and everywhere, full of trust that he/she will be heard, not because he/she has worn Him out, but because He is a merciful Father who is faithful to His promises. Thus the parable shows us how a disciple should pray the “Our Father”: with complete trust in God, loving and just Father, a trust that goes even to cheekiness, that is to “disturbing Him” at any time and to insist with Him in every way, certain of being answered.
Prayer, as a basic attitude of every Christian who wishes to really be a disciple of Jesus, is well expressed by the apostle Paul: “Pray always, in all things give thanks; this indeed is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”(1Thess 5:17-18) ; “Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints” (Eph 6: 18).
vv. 9-13: The last part of our Gospel is
properly called didactic. It resumes the theme of the previous verses,
emphasizing the trust that must characterize Christian prayer, founded on the
solid rock of faith. It is the faith of the praying person that opens wide the
doors of the Father’s heart. It is the very identity of the Father who
loves to carry in His arms His children and to console
them with the tenderness of a mother (cf. Isa 66:12-13)
which must nourish the faith of Christians.
God is a Father who loves to receive requests from His children, because this shows that they put their trust in Him. To ask they have to approach Him with open hearts, for asking urges them to look at His kind and loving face, for by asking (even indirectly) they show that they believe that He is really the Lord of history and of the world, and, above all, because their asking allows Him to show openly His delicate, attentive and free love, solely directed for the good of His children. What displeases the Father is not the insistence or indiscretion of His children in asking, but that they do not ask sufficiently, remaining silent and almost indifferent to Him, that they stay away with a thousand respectful excuses, such as “He already knows everything”, etc. God is certainly a Father who provides all things and takes care of the daily life of His children, but, at the same time, He also knows what is best for them, even better than they do. That is why He pours out on Christians so many good things and, above all, the gift par excellence: the Spirit, the only truly indispensable gift for their life, the gift who, if allowed to act, will make them authentic children in the Son.
God is a Father who loves to receive requests from His children, because this shows that they put their trust in Him. To ask they have to approach Him with open hearts, for asking urges them to look at His kind and loving face, for by asking (even indirectly) they show that they believe that He is really the Lord of history and of the world, and, above all, because their asking allows Him to show openly His delicate, attentive and free love, solely directed for the good of His children. What displeases the Father is not the insistence or indiscretion of His children in asking, but that they do not ask sufficiently, remaining silent and almost indifferent to Him, that they stay away with a thousand respectful excuses, such as “He already knows everything”, etc. God is certainly a Father who provides all things and takes care of the daily life of His children, but, at the same time, He also knows what is best for them, even better than they do. That is why He pours out on Christians so many good things and, above all, the gift par excellence: the Spirit, the only truly indispensable gift for their life, the gift who, if allowed to act, will make them authentic children in the Son.
6. A time of prayer: Psalm 104
To the merciful and provident God, who created the marvelous
harmony of the cosmos and who placed in it humankind as His “vicar”, let us
sing the psalm:
Bless Yahweh, my soul, Yahweh, my God,
how great You are!
Clothed in majesty and splendor,
wearing the light as a robe!
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
build Your palace on the waters above,
making the clouds Your chariot,
gliding on the wings of the wind,
appointing the winds Your messengers,
flames of fire Your servants.
You fixed the earth on its foundations,
for ever and ever it shall not be shaken;
how great You are!
Clothed in majesty and splendor,
wearing the light as a robe!
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
build Your palace on the waters above,
making the clouds Your chariot,
gliding on the wings of the wind,
appointing the winds Your messengers,
flames of fire Your servants.
You fixed the earth on its foundations,
for ever and ever it shall not be shaken;
You covered it with the deep like a garment,
the waters over-topping the mountains.
At Your reproof the waters fled,
at the voice of Your thunder they sped away,
flowing over mountains, down valleys,
to the place You had fixed for them;
You made a limit they were not to cross,
they were not to return and cover the earth.
In the ravines You opened up springs,
running down between the mountains,
supplying water for all the wild beasts;
the wild asses quench their thirst,
on their banks the birds of the air make their nests,
they sing among the leaves.
From Your high halls You water the mountains,
satisfying the earth with the fruit of Your works:
for cattle You make the grass grow,
and for people the plants they need,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to cheer people's hearts,
oil to make their faces glow,
food to make them sturdy of heart.
the waters over-topping the mountains.
At Your reproof the waters fled,
at the voice of Your thunder they sped away,
flowing over mountains, down valleys,
to the place You had fixed for them;
You made a limit they were not to cross,
they were not to return and cover the earth.
In the ravines You opened up springs,
running down between the mountains,
supplying water for all the wild beasts;
the wild asses quench their thirst,
on their banks the birds of the air make their nests,
they sing among the leaves.
From Your high halls You water the mountains,
satisfying the earth with the fruit of Your works:
for cattle You make the grass grow,
and for people the plants they need,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to cheer people's hearts,
oil to make their faces glow,
food to make them sturdy of heart.
The trees of Yahweh drink their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon which He sowed;
there the birds build their nests,
on the highest branches the stork makes its home;
for the wild goats there are the mountains,
in the crags the coneys find refuge.
the cedars of Lebanon which He sowed;
there the birds build their nests,
on the highest branches the stork makes its home;
for the wild goats there are the mountains,
in the crags the coneys find refuge.
He made the moon to mark the seasons,
the sun knows when to set.
You bring on darkness, and night falls,
when all the forest beasts roam around;
young lions roar for their prey,
asking God for their food.
The sun rises and away they steal,
back to their lairs to lie down,
and man goes out to work,
to labor till evening falls.
the sun knows when to set.
You bring on darkness, and night falls,
when all the forest beasts roam around;
young lions roar for their prey,
asking God for their food.
The sun rises and away they steal,
back to their lairs to lie down,
and man goes out to work,
to labor till evening falls.
How countless are Your works, Yahweh,
all of them made so wisely!
The earth is full of Your creatures.
Then there is the sea,
with its vast expanses teeming with countless creatures,
creatures both great and small.
There ships pass to and fro,
and Leviathan whom You made to sport with.
They all depend upon You,
to feed them when they need it.
all of them made so wisely!
The earth is full of Your creatures.
Then there is the sea,
with its vast expanses teeming with countless creatures,
creatures both great and small.
There ships pass to and fro,
and Leviathan whom You made to sport with.
They all depend upon You,
to feed them when they need it.
You provide the food they gather,
Your open hand gives them their fill.
Turn away Your face and they panic;
take back their breath and they die and revert to dust.
Your open hand gives them their fill.
Turn away Your face and they panic;
take back their breath and they die and revert to dust.
Send out Your breath and life begins;
you renew the face of the earth.
Glory to Yahweh for ever!
May Yahweh find joy in His creatures!
At His glance the earth trembles,
at His touch the mountains pour forth smoke.
you renew the face of the earth.
Glory to Yahweh for ever!
May Yahweh find joy in His creatures!
At His glance the earth trembles,
at His touch the mountains pour forth smoke.
I shall sing to Yahweh all my life,
make music for my God as long as I live.
May my musings be pleasing to Him,
for Yahweh gives me joy.
May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked exist no more!
Bless Yahweh, my soul.
make music for my God as long as I live.
May my musings be pleasing to Him,
for Yahweh gives me joy.
May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked exist no more!
Bless Yahweh, my soul.
7. Closing prayer
Good and holy Father, Your love makes us brothers and sisters
and urges us to come together in Your holy Church to celebrate with life the
mystery of communion. You call us to share the one bread, living and eternal,
given to us from heaven. Help us also to know how to break, in the love of
Christ, our earthly bread, so that our bodily and spiritual hunger may be
satisfied. Amen.
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