INSISTENT PRAYER

Thursday October 7

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

INSISTENT PRAYER

Introduction

      To the prophet Malachi and the pious Jews, the apparently happy life of sinners was a scandal. To them, who practiced their faith, God seemed absent and not listening to their prayers. But God will hear them and do justice to each on the day of judgment. Christ tells us to persevere in our prayers. God hears and will give what we need.

      Luke tells us that Jesus prayed often. And insistently, as at his agony. Now he tells us that Jesus wants us too to be persevering, insistent and even bold in our prayer. For God is good. How can he resist us when we pray? He will give us not only good things but also the Holy Spirit, the gift that contains all gifts.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
when we cry out to you,
we wonder at times whether you hear us
for your silence is sometimes oppressive.
Keep us trusting in your goodness
and your constant presence.
Give us what is good when we ask you,
and also when we forget to ask,
let us find you when we seek you,
open to us when we knock,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading 1: Mal 3:13-20b

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.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

(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.

Alleluia: Acts 16:14b

Alleluia, alleluia.
Open your hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Lk 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?"

Intercessions

–   For those in the Church to whom the ministry of forgiveness had been especially entrusted, that they may be uncompromising with evil, yet welcome sinners with respect and merciful love, we pray:

–   For contemplative monks and nuns, that we may appreciate their life of penance and prayer and be grateful for the Lord’s blessings they obtain for us, we pray:

–   For all Christians, that our prayers for the poor and the suffering may commit us more to bring them justice, to lighten their burdens and restore their dignity, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
you let us experience your goodness
by giving us Jesus, your Son.
In these signs of bread and wine
we express our trust in you.
Be merciful to us and hear our prayers.
Grant us the bread of your Son
and the things we need in life
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
you Son and our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
in answer to our pleading
you have given the bread of life,
to us, your special possession.
Accept our thanks
and help us not to be deaf
to the cries of those who appeal to us.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” For God is good and he blesses you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

Ask

On October 7, the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also known by the alternate title of “Our Lady of Victory,” because it is celebrated to honour the Blessed Mother for the victory of the Christian forces against the Turkish invasion on 7 October 1571 at Lepanto, in Greece. While preparing for the battle, Pope Pius V encouraged the Christians in the whole of Europe to pray the Rosary. The Pope attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast was instituted to honour the motherly protection of the Blessed Mother through the Rosary devotion.

Rosary is a repetition of prayers. Many people consider it boring to repeat the same prayer of Hail Mary and Our Father. Curious though, today’s gospel talks about the importance of repetition and consistency in prayer!

Jesus tells the parable of a man who, with great insistence, went to ask a friend to give him three loaves of bread (vv. 5-8). This story intends to teach that prayer needs to be untiring. But, Is it not true that God knows our needs even before we ask for them? Then why does the Lord want us to be persistent in prayer? Certainly not because God wants to be asked for a long time before granting something, but because it helps us to discern well what we are asking for and also helps us to assimilate God’s plans for our lives.

Do not be mistaken that our prayers are to persuade God to change his plan. That would appear like we want God to comply with our ideas, that he would grant us all what we ask for and all that are in our liking. It is not so. On the contrary, talking with him at length in prayer, will help us to understand the love of God better and accept his designs.

Prayer does not change God; rather it opens our minds, changes our hearts and attitudes. It is hard to give up our way of looking at the world. The ways of God are not always easy, nor pleasant; they require conversion, efforts, renouncement, sacrifices. To discern the will of the Lord, we must pray .

Lord promises that our prayers will be answered, but our experience might be different! The reality remains the same as before - the disease continues, the grievance will remain, the wounds of betrayal will be painful. But our prayer will help us find answers to deal with these realities.