Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 GAL 3:1-5
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Responsorial Psalm LK 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
Alleluia ACTS 16:14B
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 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?”
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive: seek and you will find.” // Luke 11:9
“Mom, can I ask you a question?”
I hear this question about a question on a daily basis.
It is part of my call as a mom to answer questions. I sometimes answer questions that they haven't even asked yet. But as the kids get older I am trying to be better about that. It is good for them to take time and formulate the right question. If I answer the question before it is asked, they never learn how to ask.
Too often in my adult life, I have not sought that which I should really be seeking. Or perhaps I was simply seeking it in the wrong places. Often my asking was actually making a demand, not placing a request and trusting the outcome to my Heavenly Father.
Today’s Gospel (see Luke 11:5-13) is hard for some of us to relate to because many of us have experienced unanswered prayers in our lives. People we prayed for didn’t receive healing, loved ones died even though we held firm in our faith to the end, periods of suffering seemed to go on and on when all we asked of the Lord was to bring an end to the struggle. Most of us can remember a request that went unanswered.
I have noticed with my littlest one that the phrase “Can I ask you a question?” is sometimes just an introduction to conversation. She wonders if I am available to talk, work things out, or problem-solve. It is less about the question and more about entering into a relationship.
Lord, can I ask You a question?
Of course, you can. “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find” (Luke 11:9). This is a promise.
You may not get the answer you are looking for, you may not seek what you find or find what you expected, but if you enter into dialogue with the Lord, you enter into the situation with Him at your side. What do you desire to ask the Lord today? Enter into the dialogue today.