Luke 11:5-13

Malachi 3:13-20b

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

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 Spirit and renew the face of the earth! Enlighten my mind to know your holy will. Inflame my heart to love you without reserve. Strengthen my will to seek you in all things.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Persistence in Prayer: In the Gospel, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. He has already given them a model prayer. He now adds that they need to persist and persevere in their prayer. This is an important lesson because the purpose of prayer is not to inform God of something he doesn’t already know or to beg him to change his will and be favorable toward us. The purpose of prayer is to dispose our hearts towards the Father and his will through praise, adoration, petition, thanksgiving, and repentance. “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. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him” (CCC, 2620).

2. The Father’s Gift of the Holy Spirit: The Parable invites us to reflect on a man who finds himself without food and needs to feed his friend who has just come in from a long journey. The stores were closed, and so the only way to feed his friend was to ask his neighbor for some bread. We are in the same situation. We cannot produce the grace and charity we need to serve our brothers and sisters. We have to request it from our Father, who, unlike a neighbor, will not be bothered by our request even in the middle of the night. God wants us to ask and to persevere in our asking. To the one who prays like this, the heavenly Father will “give whatever he needs,” and, above all, the gift of the Holy Spirit, who contains all gifts (CCC, 2613).

3. The Book of Malachi: The prophet Malachi was active after the rebuilding of the Temple, sometime after 515 B.C. It is likely he preached before the year 450 B.C. and was concerned about the spiritual downfall of the people of Judah. He accuses them of offering blemished sacrifices, not tithing, and getting divorced. “Malachi calls the people to repentance and admonishes their waywardness. He then points vividly to the future, giving a prophecy of the return of ‘Elijah,’ before the great coming of the Lord” (A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, 462). The Book of Malachi is structured around six disputations. Malachi states a theological truth, the people object to it, and then the Lord responds to the objection. We read today from the sixth and final disputation. It opens with the Lord charging that the people of Judah have spoken against him: “You have defied me in word, says the Lord” (Malachi 3:13). The accused people demand an example of this: “What have we spoken against you?” The Lord points out that they think that they are serving him in vain and that there is nothing gained by keeping the Lord’s commands. They think that the proud and not the humble are blessed, that evildoers prosper, while the righteous languish. Malachi says that the Lord listened attentively to them. The Lord judges that they are wrong: “the situation will be resolved when he saves the righteous among them and comes in fiery judgment against arrogant sinners” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1633). “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Malachi 3:20b).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have redeemed me and made me a new creation. Move me to ask for what I most need from the Father. Encourage me to persevere as I seek what I most desire. Help me overcome any obstacles and knock on the door that leads to eternal life.

Living the Word of God: Am I persistent and persevering in prayer? How can my daily prayer be more like a conversation between two friends? Do I tell God about my day? Do I ask forgiveness for my offenses? Do I praise God for who he is? Do I thank God for what he has done? Do I intercede for my family, friends, and acquaintances? What do I need to ask for in prayer today?