Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Pray SIMPLY, Pray PERSISTENTLY, 

Pray EXPECTANTLY

Genesis 18: 20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11: 1-13

“I’ll pray for you . . . Keep me in your prayers.” So often those phrases are tossed out during a casual goodbye or especially when trouble is on the loose or some worry hovers in the air. But for all our good intentions, for some reason, we neglect this rich source of strength and power for our daily lives and don’t pray. Sometimes we don’t have the time (or make the time) in our busy schedules. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we may even doubt the value of prayer; we may lack the confidence that it really does anything.

Our Gospel is divided into three sections and in them, Jesus teaches us three very important things about our prayer. First, that we should Pray SIMPLY, knowing that God reads our hearts as well as understands our words. Second, that we should Pray PERSISTENTLY, knowing that our gracious God wants to respond with what is best for us. And third, that we should Pray EXPECTANTLY, trusting that God will pour out gifts far beyond our dreams.

Today’s Gospel begins, as it often does in Luke’s Gospel with Jesus himself praying. The disciples of our Lord saw their Master in prayer and they were so struck by this that they asked him to teach them to pray. And in response, Jesus provides the model of prayer that has come to be known as the “Lord’s Prayer” . . . the “Our Father.”

The Lord’s Prayer is something that most of us rhyme off very glibly, often thinking of other things while we are saying it. But, in praying it, we are saying the most powerful prayer known to humankind, next to the Mass itself. That prayer has been prayed continuously since the days of the early Church. People all around the world have prayed that same prayer day and night for two thousand years. And when we pray it, we connect ourselves to all believers everywhere in all time. It is considered by many to be the perfect prayer model, not just because our Lord taught it himself, but because it contains all the simple aspects of prayer which are important for maintaining the relationship we have with our Father. Through it, Jesus taught that:

• We should pray that our Father’s name be holy upon our lips and within our lives, that our lives be filled with prayer, and praise, and thanksgiving in His name.
• We should pray that His kingdom will come among us and that His will be done. Both make the point that in all our prayers our goal should be the fulfillment of God’s will, not our will. 
• We should pray for our daily bread. Asking God to provide the things we need to live is important because it acknowledges the fact that we depend on God.
• We should pray for the forgiveness of our sins and the ability to forgive those who sin against us.
• And we should pray for protection against every temptation to sin that would cause us to stumble and fall from our faith.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus doesn’t teach the disciples any special skills. He doesn’t say if you fold your hands or hold them palms up toward heaven, or rest them on the particular person you’re praying for, or kneel or stand or sit, or use a special style of language, you are more likely to have your prayers answered. Prayer doesn’t involve having special skills and saying the right words so that we can reach God’s ear. It's not the length of the prayer or it's eloquence that God hears. Praying is simply being in presence of our heavenly Father who is ready at any moment to listen to our words, our whispers, our groans and sighs, and answer with his love.

But Jesus wasn’t finished teaching his disciples when he gave them this model. He also wanted to teach them that when they prayed, they should pray persistently. And to do this, He went on to tell them a brief story about a man going to a friend at midnight to ask for some bread to feed a surprise visitor. Jesus concludes the story by stating that even though the man might have to ask several times, the friend will give the bread if for no other reason than the man’s persistence.

In an age of instant gratification, we often forget the importance of perseverance. Fast food gives us meals in an instant. Credit cards buy us goods whenever and wherever we want. Cell phones, texting and Skype allow us to communicate instantly. Entertainment is available at the flick of a switch. God does indeed listen to our prayers, but it’s only logical that He wants to see how committed we are to what we are praying for. God wants us to be persistent in our requests. Only then do we demonstrate both the sincerity of our prayer and our ultimate trust in His ability to answer it.

And then, at the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus goes on to make some pretty incredible promises to those who pray: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you”. Wow! What Jesus is saying is that when something is important enough that we continually ask, we should expect to receive. When something is important enough that we continually seek, we should expect to find it. And when something is important enough that we continually knock on God’s door, we should expect Him to open the door for us to know how to obtain it. Prayer is not an idle exercise. “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you” is Jesus’ three-fold promise to those who pray. Clearly, Jesus is telling us to ask LOUDLY, seek TIRELESSLY and knock SHAMELESSLY. And so . . .

• ASK: Tell Him what you want. Don’t tell Him how or when to give it to you. That’s His business. Yours is simply to ask, trusting that it will be given to you, in your Father’s time and in your Father’s way.
• Seek: Actively search out how God is answering your prayer. 
• Knock: Be bold. Don’t wait for the doors of heaven to swing open like those automatic doors at the grocery store. Bang on them. Storm the gates of heaven with your prayers. They will open to you. 

But each of us, I’m sure, can name at least one time when it seemed God didn’t get the message we had sent in fervent prayer. There are clearly times that we have sought, but didn’t find exactly what we were looking for; asked, but didn’t received what we had asked; knocked but found the that door seemed to remain closed. Yes, there are times in our lives that it appears to us that God didn’t answer our prayers. But he did answer it, and the answer was “No.” But you see, sometimes we suffer from tunnel vision, and God, well, He has peripheral vision, and because He is a loving Father, replies to our prayer, “No, I won’t give you what you asked for, but I will give you what you really need in the big picture of things.”

When my mom was alive, she would frequently give me holy cards or prayer cards. Sometimes they would be in honor of a saint, sometimes for a particular intention. But of all the ones she gave me, there is one that is my favorite. I say it every day as I begin to pray. I think it most succinctly and most beautifully reminds me of what Jesus taught about prayer and what my attitude towards it should be:

I know not by what methods rare

but this I know, God answers prayer.

I know not when he sends the word

that tells us fervent prayer is heard.

I know it comes soon or late,

therefore I need to pray and wait.

I know not if the blessing sought

will come in just the way I thought.

I leave my prayer with Him alone

whose will is wiser than my own.

In his First Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul tells us to “Pray unceasingly.” Good advice. Because, you know what? If we truly took Jesus at his word, I don’t think we’d ever be off our knees.