July 28^th 2019.  Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

GOSPEL   Luke 9, 51-62

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

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GOSPEL   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.
"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?"

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . In Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the simpler version of the “Our Father” that is found in St Luke’s Gospel. But why do we need to pray? Doesn’t God know what we need before we ask him? Can’t he just provide for our needs directly? But there are at least two reasons why it is essential to pray in this way. Firstly, each one of us participates in the universal priesthood of the faithful. Therefore we are called to intercede for ourselves and others before God. In this way, our prayer is an expression of fraternal love for others. Secondly, our God is a providential Father who loves us and wants to bestow gifts on us, but he respects our freedom and will not impose his gifts on us unless we invite him in. Thus, the “Our Father” is a way for us to welcome the bountiful graces of our benevolent Father. When we pray the “Our Father”, we are saying: that your name, your most intimate truth may live in our hearts and be manifested in us; that we may live according to your Kingdom and you will make that Kingdom present in us; that we will more and more recognize that all existence comes from you and we will look only for that which we need to live today, for tomorrow is in your hands; that we might develop merciful hearts and have gratitude for the mercy that we ourselves have received; that we might be aware that we are not fit to confront temptations without your help. In time we develop the attitude and spirit of children, trusting that our Father does not give us snakes and scorpions (biblical symbols of evil) but fish and eggs. He does not give me death but life. Our heavenly Father wants to bestow so many blessings upon us! But he respects our freedom and waits for us to ask.

Why do we need to pray? God knows what we want before we ask! But we still have a duty to pray because the Lord wants us to participate in the universal priesthood, to intercede for ourselves and others in the power of the Holy Spirit

This Sunday we listen to Luke’s version of the Our Father, which is simpler and rawer than the classic text of Matthew to which we are accustomed. The disciples ask Jesus how to pray. Each one of us can always learn to pray better, to dialogue more deeply with God. In the spiritual life it is important to constantly develop our relationship with the Lord. But a question must be addressed: why should we pray? Doesn't God already know what we want? Can't he give us what we need directly without having to be asked? What we need to rediscover is that God has entrusted us with a ministry of intercession that is part of fraternal love. We all share in the priesthood as a consequence of our baptism. His Providence is mediated by us. Indeed, none of us receives the Gospel directly from the Lord. We receive it through other people, from our brothers and sisters in the faith, if not from our parents – who, when they deliver their faith to their children, are the best evangelizers. Love, care and the service of others are the pathways of God's grace. God has chosen to save us through our mutual love. But God does not impose his grace. Where there is no love, love is not transmitted. But where there is love, even if in a fragile way, God is able to work with all his power. Therefore, intercessory prayer is a form of love.

The Our Father prayer is the key to a personal relationship with a providential Father

Prayer is also essential from a personal point of view. When we pray, we open ourselves to relationship with God and, almost without realizing it, we unlock certain inner doors that are closed. God does not impose his presence upon us. The Holy Spirit does not force the heart. He will enter only if he is not rejected. The Father would like to give us much more than we ask, but he cannot go beyond our permission. Let us pray with trust, therefore, the various petitions of the Our Father:

                That his name, that is his most intimate truth, will live in our heart and be manifested in us;

               That we will live according to his Kingdom, Thus, slowly, our prayer becomes more authentic and He is able to achieve these things in us;

               That we will discover that it is from Him that life comes every day, asking only what is needed to live today, no more, because we know that tomorrow is in his hands;

               That we might have a heart of mercy that keeps us grateful for the forgiveness we have received;

               That we might confront temptations without the dangerous illusion of being able to do it ourselves.

Our Father treats us as his children. Therefore he does not force his presence upon us. He waits for us to ask before bestowing his graces

Through all of this, our identity as children grows, and in the depths of our being we get used to thinking well of the Father. We know that he will not give us a snake or a scorpion, biblical symbols of evil, but a fish, an essential food for his disciple fishermen, and an egg, an ancestral symbol of life. If my life is in difficulty and I pray with trust to the Father, then slowly I begin to recognize that what I am going through is not a snake but a fish. It is not a scorpion but an egg. It is not death, but life. It is not deception, but salvation. In this way I rediscover the true meaning of divine providence, the reality of a God who loves me as a father. And if I wish to help others – if I need “bread” for a friend - if I pray for help to be able to welcome people, to love those around me, then He will open the door to make it possible. In fact, he wants to give me the Holy Spirit, but he waits patiently for me to ask him. And that is because he treats me as his child, who is free to respond to him, rather than a slave who must