Ask, and it will be given you

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Collect

O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading
Gn 18:20-32

Let not my Lord grow angry if I speak.

A reading from the Book of Genesis

In those days, the LORD said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
   and their sin so grave,
   that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
   fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out.”

While Abraham’s visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
   the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
   “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
   would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
   for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
   to make the innocent die with the guilty
   so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”
The LORD replied,
   “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
   I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
   “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
   though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty.”
Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on,
   “Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
   what if there are no more than twenty?”
The LORD answered, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
   “Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”

The word of the Lord.

Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8

R. :

℟. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
   for you have heard the words of my mouth;
   in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name.

℟. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Because of your kindness and your truth;
   for you have made great above all things
   your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
   you built up strength within me.

℟. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
   and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
   against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.

℟. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Your right hand saves me.
   The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
   forsake not the work of your hands.

℟. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Second Reading
Col 2:12-14

God has brought you to life along with Christ, having forgiven us all our transgressions.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians

Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
   in which you were also raised with him
   through faith in the power of God,
   who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
   in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
   he brought you to life along with him,
   having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
   which was opposed to us,
   he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Rom 8:15bc

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a Spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, Abba, Father.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel
Lk 11:1-13

Ask and you will receive.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

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?”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

The principal theme of today’s Gospel is prayer. And we can extract three key aspects: prayer as a relationship; God’s providence which flows from His desire for our good; and perseverance in prayer.

The Apostles noticed the profound relationship Jesus had with the Father and desired that He teach them how they too can have this relationship. They too wanted to have a relationship with God the Father. Therefore, they asked Him to teach them to pray.

- Since we are praying to the Father and we are His children, we must work together for peace, for His Kingdom, on a personal level through strengthening our relationship with Him as well as on a universal level.

- As for our livelihoods, God’s providence is never wanting. We know that there is enough food in the world for everyone, but not everyone is getting their share. How can we have a strong relationship with God while living an individualistic and egotistical lifestyle?

- Forgiveness is the greatest challenge for a Christian. If you desire to be forgiven, why don’t you forgive?

- In the latter part, we find words of hope and succour, for mercy, for His grace in moments in which we enter into temptation of our own accord.

The Our Father is a prayer that we have learnt since childhood. It is a relational prayer. It is also a prayer that asks of us Christians a strong commitment. It is a prayer that requires faith and complete trust.

We sometimes hear people say, “I’m tired of praying”; “Praying is useless”; “God has forgotten me”; “God only hears the prayers of those He chooses”; or “I have been praying for a long time and no response”. Such expressions make me wonder: why do some people still think that prayer is like a magic wand? Why are there people that still believe that we can bargain with God by lighting some candles … as if we have to pay Him in advance!

In prayer, we ask for what we believe to be the best for us at that present moment. But God sees into the future, much further than we can. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Do we believe in God’s timing? We pray, talk, and engage in dialogue with God because that’s what children do with their parents, friends and with those who love them: They dialogue, sharing their innermost feelings with complete trust, because they believe that they are speaking with someone that desires their good, they believe in the boundless love of the one listening to them.

Do we believe that our Father in Heaven will give us something which is not for our good, even if we think we need it? Lord, increase our Faith…our trust!

Another theme which ties everything together is perseverance in prayer: continuing to pray not because God wants to chastise or tease us, but because prayer is a part of a loving relationship. God does not want us to give up or doubt His love for us; He rather desires that we dialogue with Him, because His love is immeasurable. Prayer, which is an act of love, does not change God, who Himself is love, rather it transforms us. Do not give up…keep walking, keep loving.

 

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