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The Word Among Us

Thursday, October 09, 2003

Meditation
Luke 11:5-13

How many young people do you know who think it would be cool to have a father as wealthy as Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates? With a dad that rich, they would no doubt have all the latest toys and computer games to play with! Whether parents are as wealthy as Bill Gates or have to struggle to make ends meet, most of them have one thing in common: They will try their hardest to lavish as much as they can on their children. Generosity seems to be a natural part of parenthood. Still, being human, parents have their limitations. Even the most generous parents can’t give their children everything God has to offer! As our all-powerful Creator, God has at his disposal every material, spiritual, and emotional answer to our needs. The ultimate sign of this unbounded love is the gift of his only Son for our salvation (John 3:16).

God can never be outdone in generosity toward his children. He has claimed each of us as his own and wants to shower us with all the abundant riches he has to offer. However, in receiving God’s generosity, we sometimes have to be patient and open-minded. God knows our needs—even more fully than we do—and he will generously give us everything we need. But perhaps it will not always be what we had expected. Like the friend in today’s gospel reading, we need to be vigilant in watching and waiting for God’s response, open to the possibility that he may surprise us with something we never expected. And even if he delays in responding, we should continue to trust him, resisting the temptation to turn to someone or something else to fulfill our needs.

Whether we are hungering for food or forgiveness or faith, God does take our requests seriously. He has just the right gifts in store, and we should not be afraid to ask him to shower them down upon us. God is eager to pour out blessing upon blessing on anyone who comes to him. He’ll even give us his own Holy Spirit!

“God of all goodness, I glorify you as my generous and loving Father! Thank you for your awesome gift of the Holy Spirit, who sustains and animates my life. Be generous to me and all who call upon you for this precious gift!”

One Bread, One Body

<< Thursday, October 9, 2003 >>

St. Denis & Companions
St. John Leonardi

Malachi 3:13-20

Psalm 1

Luke 11:5-13

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THE PERILS OF NOT VALUING PRAYER HIGHLY ENOUGH

“So I say to you, ‘Ask and you shall receive.’ ” —Luke 11:9

One of the most practical questions we can ask ourselves is: “How much do I believe in prayer?” Most people believe in prayer some, but not enough to set aside a time daily for prayer, to pray with their spouses, to pray daily with their families, or to pray at work, on the street, or on the phone. These omissions in prayer have very bad effects. They contribute to weak faith, weak marriages, weak families, and weak churches. Not to value prayer highly and not to pray always (Lk 18:1) makes it possible for the culture of death to continue to increase.

To encourage us to pray to the max, the Lord assures us that He wants to answer our prayers more than anyone ever wanted a prayer answered. He will give us what we ask for or better. He promises: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you” (Lk 11:9). In fact, the Lord will give us not only answers to our prayers; He even gives us God, the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). The Spirit “helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rm 8:26). Then we will pray with even greater commitment, power, and efficacy. This will lead us to pray more deeply in the Spirit, and we move from grace to grace (see Jn 1:16, RNAB). Make prayer such a priority that you pray always in the Spirit (Jude 20).

Prayer: Jesus, “teach us to pray” by Your standards (Lk 11:1).

Promise: “For you who fear My name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” —Mal 3:20

Praise: St. Denis prayed for Paris and it became a center of Christendom.