LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY
A blessed & holy 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time to you. Today, the Lord Jesus teaches his disciples (& us) the Lord’s Prayer. Today’s reflection follows closely from last Sunday’s, where we shared on the importance of staying close to the Lord in prayer & always dwelling in His presence (cf Psalm 15:1). Today, we hear about how best to approach God in our prayer, & we see the difference between Abraham’s interceding for the people of Sodom & Gomorrah, our faith-filled approach to God in the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s dive in …
In our 1st Reading from Genesis 18:20-32, Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah. He appeared timid & fearful before God when ‘bargaining’ with H im – saying a few times “I am bold enough to speak like this to my God” & “I trust that the Lord will not be angry with me” before making his request.
Abraham was right in being humble & deferential in praying to God, who is Great, Glorious & Almighty. Abraham knew his place – God is Creator & he is His creation. And we too are encouraged to approach the Lord likewise with awe, wonder & respect.
Yet, we find that in our Gospel today from Luke 11:1-13, Jesus provides us with a radical way to approach God in our prayer. He asks us to approach God as Father – not as timid & fearful people, but as children who trust in the goodness & love of their father to provide them with the absolute best. Jesus gives us the example of a human father who gives his son or daughter their requests – good things like bread, fish & an egg, instead of harmful or inferior things like a stone, a snake & a scorpion. He closes this teaching with “if you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” (Luke 11:13)
Note that in our Gospel text, Jesus declared that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Compare this, if you will, with what’s in Matthew’s Gospel on the same teaching on Ask, Seek, Knock that states what Jesus says differently – “how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (cf Matthew 7:11). Why do you think this is so? Biblical scholars have different interpretations on this, & I don’t want to go into the various versions. Instead, let me share with you a viewpoint that is simple & direct, & one that would guide us along in our prayer life & personal relationship with God.
Here, our focus is on the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites us to go beyond all the gifts we are seeking from God, & to focus on the most precious Gift & the Giver of gifts – the Holy Spirit! Jesus promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter & Paraclete to us at various parts of John’s Gospel – see John 14:15-16, John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:7-14. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, teaches, counsels, comforts & guides us. And in St Paul’s Spirit-inspired writings in Romans 8:14-17, he encourages us: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”
So, here’s the awesome news: By our baptism, we have received the Holy Spirit & become adopted sons & daughters of God. We no longer need to live in fear; we can approach God for all our needs with full trust & confidence. We also know that the Holy Spirit Himself will intercede to God for what we need, when we are weak, do not know how to pray or what to pray for (cf Romans 8:26-27). We have the blessed assurance that we too, are heirs of the fullness of God’s kingdom & His glory. We know in the depths of our hearts that God loves us & with this deep personal relationship with God, we can call Him “Abba! Daddy! Father!”
What is our response to what we’ve read today? Can we approach God our Father with more faith, hope & confidence, knowing that He loves us as his children with an everlasting love (cf Jeremiah 31:3)? If God doesn’t answer our prayer the way we want it, can we trust that He is a loving Father who knows what’s best for us & will always give us the best? Will we continue to persevere in prayer by asking, searching & knocking? At the end of the day, whatever the outcome of our petitions, can we humbly, faithfully & joyfully declare what King David said in today’s Response in the Psalm: “On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord” (Psalm 138:3)?
As we conclude, here’s a moving worship song called “Our Father” by Don Moen to help us connect to our loving Abba Father.
https://youtu.be/UO2f_3FdEoQ?si=0hVeYxSQfKa-wAWE
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead