Luke 11:5-13

Galatians 3:1-5

Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

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 has just taught his disciples how to pray and what to ask for in prayer to the Father. Now, Jesus teaches his disciples by means of a parable to persist in prayer. In the parable, a man goes to his friend’s house at midnight to ask for bread so that he may feed another friend who came to his home unexpectedly. At first, the friend refuses to get up and give the man what he needs. However, Jesus points out that if the man persists in his request, his friend will get up and give him the bread he needs for his other friend. He does so, not because of their friendship, but because of his friend’s persistence. This invites us to think about God the Father, who hears our requests in prayer. Unlike the friend who is asleep and in bed, God is not asleep nor bothered by our prayer. God will give us the good things we ask for because we are his children. Knowing this, then, that God is not like a bothered friend, but is a benevolent Father, should motivate us all the more to persist in our prayer to him.

2. Ask, Seek, Knock: After the parable about persistence in prayer, Jesus gives three imperatives. He first tells us to ask. If we ask for good things from the Father, we will receive them. He then tells us to seek. If we seek good things from the Father, we will find them. Finally, he tells us to knock at the door. If we knock at the door of heaven, then the door will be opened to us. The humble ask, seek, and knock. The prideful refuse to ask because they are self-sufficient. The prideful refuse to seek because they are content with what they have accomplished and gained. The prideful refuse to knock because they think that others must come to them. Jesus teaches us that when we ask for the physical and spiritual nourishment we need, his Father will not give us evil things – symbolized by the snake and scorpion – but give us the supreme good, i.e., the gift of the Holy Spirit, the very Love between the Father and the Son. 

3. You Have Received the Spirit: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul talks about receiving the Holy Spirit. He calls the Galatians “fools.” This is because they have begun to believe the message of the Judaizers (Galatians 1:6). Paul reminds the Galatians that they did not receive the Holy Spirit by following the ceremonial laws and social norms of Moses but by believing in Jesus Christ. The Galatians are fools to think that, after having received the New Law and the grace of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, they need to add the works of the Old Law – circumcision and other ceremonial laws – to complete their Christian initiation. “Before the coming of Christ, the rite of circumcision was the doorway into God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14) and the sacrament of initiation into the family of Israel (Leviticus 12:3). The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, marks a turning point in covenant history where circumcision is now set aside, along with the entire body of liturgical and ceremonial legislation promulgated by Moses. Through his Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the Old Covenant (Galatians 3:13) and unleashed the divine blessings of the New Covenant in a powerful way, inaugurating a ‘new creation’ (Galatians 6:15) and a renewed ‘Israel’ (Galatians 6:16)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 330).

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 at 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?