July 27, 2025: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 11: 1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, 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 indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
One of the advantages of growing older is the opportunity to look back on our lives and see evidence of God’s providence. Sometimes we aren’t able to see God at work in the midst of our everyday lives, especially if we are going through something difficult, and it is only in retrospect we are able to see God’s faithfulness and love in operation. We can then say, with heartfelt gratitude, “Thank you!” to the God who was always there for us, even if we couldn’t see it at the time.
Prayer is an opportunity for us to maintain our relationship with the God who loves us and wants only goodness and wholeness for us. God’s grace is always available to us should we but ask, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves to ask. I might be mulling over a problem, looking in different ways at finding a solution, when the thought might suddenly occur to me to pray about it! What a sense of relief I then feel (and, I often ask myself, why didn’t I pray about this problem to begin with?)!
History is full of people who were diligent and mighty pray-ers. Look at St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, who never stopped praying for her young, wayward son, who eventually became a saint renowned for his holiness! St. Teresa of Avila was a woman known for her contemplative prayer who became the first female Doctor of the Church. And Scripture portrays many accounts of Jesus going away alone to pray to deepen his relationship with his Abba, sometimes in the desert, other times on a mountain.
Perhaps we aren’t saints but we can be people of prayer. It just takes a willing heart and even just a few minutes of time on a regular basis. When we turn to God in prayer, we will see our lives changed for the good, as God uses the moments we spend in prayer to transform our hearts and make us better people. Gratitude for life’s blessings and joy are by-products of prayer. Plus, and very importantly, when we lift others up in prayer, it impacts them in positive ways. We can do good for others just by praying for them; in fact, prayer is a powerful tool that can change the world!