This Sunday, July 27, is the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary time. The theme for the readings is persistence. The gospel is from the book of Luke 11:1-13. Let’s take a look.
Gospel Text
Please click the link for the full Gospel Text (Luke 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.”
Sunday Reflection: Persistence
Persistence in prayer is the theme of the readings for this Sunday, the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the first reading, Genesis 18:20-32, Abraham is persistent with God, who is angry at their grave sin. Abraham pleads with God to spare the innocent in Sodom, starting with 50 innocent people, and continues to plead until God agrees that if there were 10 innocent people, He would not destroy Sodom.
The gospel story begins with Jesus’ disciples asking Him to teach them to pray. Jesus gives a parable of a man who knocks on a neighbor’s door late at night. Some friends just arrived at his house and he has nothing to give them. The person inside refuses to get up to give him anything, stating:
‘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.’
Jesus states at the end of the parable:
“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.”
The underlying message is to pray persistently. Jesus begins by teaching the disciples a model prayer: the Our Father. The parable speaks to how the neighbor’s friend eventually responds to the request for bread due to the neighbor’s persistence. In verses 9-10, Jesus reinforces His message to keep asking, seeking, and knocking until God answers your prayer. God’s gifts are better than we could have imagined when He answers our prayers. Pray without ceasing and always be persistent with your prayers!
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Peace
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