Ask, Seek, and Knock!

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Gal 3:1-5; Lk 11:5-13

Today’s Gospel highlights the importance of friendly and childlike attitudes within prayer. 

The two parts of the Gospel text today talk of prayer as friendship and childlike trust, respectively. 

The analogy of friendship for prayer is truly powerful. 

The very construct of a friend, his going at night to ask for food, and his persistence in bothering his friend without any embarrassment invite our consideration. 

The friend must have probably convinced himself that if there was someone who would consider his request, it was his friend. Jesus turns the confidence of the persistent friend into an example of prayer. 

Also, if we observe, the friend who asks is not ashamed. The friend who refuses is not mistaken. 

The freedom to deny and the freedom to persist signify the depth of friendship. 

Jesus wants us to trust God like a friend who sought food from his friend, knocked on his door, and persisted with his request. 

From the metaphor of friendship, Jesus moves on to talk of childlike trust as necessary for prayer. 

Jesus juxtaposes the earthly fathers and the heavenly Father to offer the contrast between the two. 

If the earthly fathers are faithful in providing for their children despite their weaknesses and limitations, how much more would the Holy God be considerate toward our requests?

Jesus demonstrates the greatness of the heavenly Father from the analogy of earthly fathers. 

Jesus gives us the confidence that if at all we turn to God in prayer, we will have every blessing we need. 

Let us pray that we may constantly ask, seek, and knock to cherish the showers of blessings from God.  

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar