Luke 11:5-13

Luke 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?”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit and renew me. Enlighten my mind to know your will, inflame my heart to love you without reserve, and strengthen my will to seek you in all things. Teach me to pray with confidence and perseverance, trusting that you always give what is truly good.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Persistence in Prayer: In the Gospel, Jesus continues teaching his disciples how to pray. He has already given them the Our Father as a model. Now he teaches them to pray with persistence and perseverance. This is important because prayer is not about informing God of something he does not already know or persuading him to change his will toward us. Rather, prayer disposes our hearts to receive and embrace the Father’s will through praise, adoration, petition, thanksgiving, and repentance. The Catechism explains: “Jesus’ filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father, even to the Cross, and an absolute confidence in being heard. In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness” (CCC, 2620). When we persist in prayer, we are not wearing down God’s resistance; we are allowing him to transform our hearts so that we can receive his gifts and conform ourselves more fully to his will.

2. The Father’s Gift of the Holy Spirit: The parable Jesus tells describes a man who receives an unexpected guest late at night. Because he has nothing to offer his friend, he goes to his neighbor and asks for bread. His persistence eventually moves the neighbor to give him what he needs. We are in a similar situation. We cannot produce within ourselves the grace and charity necessary to love and serve our brothers and sisters as Christ commands. We need to receive them from God. The Father, however, is not like the reluctant neighbor in the parable. He is a loving Father who desires to give good things to his children. Therefore, Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock with confidence. And what is the greatest gift we should ask for? The Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the source of every grace we need to live as children of God. As the Catechism explains, “the Holy Spirit is the ‘gift of God’” and “contains all gifts” (CCC, 2613). When we ask the Father for what we truly need, we can trust that he will never give us anything harmful or contrary to our ultimate good. He gives us himself.

3. Ask, Seek, and Knock: Jesus gives us three images for persevering prayer: ask, seek, and knock. To ask is to acknowledge that we are dependent upon God. To seek is to recognize that what we truly desire cannot be found in the passing things of this world. To knock is to approach the door of the Father with confidence, trusting that he will open it. These three actions also describe the movement of the Christian life. We ask for God’s grace, seek his will, and knock at the door that leads to communion with him. Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not what we expected. Sometimes God seems silent, and the door appears closed. Yet Jesus assures us that the Father hears us. Perseverance in prayer teaches us to trust him even when we do not understand his ways. Ultimately, the Father answers our deepest prayer by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit conforms us to Christ, teaches us to pray as children of the Father, and leads us toward the fullness of life for which we were created. We therefore never pray in vain when we pray for God himself.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have taught me to ask, seek, and knock. Help me to trust your Father even when I do not immediately receive what I ask. Give me perseverance in prayer and teach me to desire your will above my own. May your Holy Spirit transform my heart and lead me through the door to eternal life.

Living the Word of God: What am I asking God for most persistently right now? Can I place that desire before him while also asking for the grace to accept his will? Where am I tempted to stop praying because God seems silent? How can I persevere in asking, seeking, and knocking? How can I make my daily prayer more like a conversation with a loving Father? What can I praise God for, thank him for, confess to him, or ask him for today?