HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II (2)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II

THEME: PERSISTENT PRAYER.

BY: Fr. Karabari Paul

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 6 2022

‘And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.’

God loves it when we come to Him in prayer. It’s an opportunity for us to share our concerns, listen to His voice, and connect with Him on a deeper level. The Gospel of today (Luke 11:5-15) gives us some lessons on how and why to be persistent in our prayers.

Jesus told His disciples a parable of a man who at midnight went to his friend and asked for bread for a guest who had just arrived his house. Midnight is never a good time to go asking for bread, but having nothing to offer a guest, regardless of the time, was unthinkable for a host in the days of Jesus. So Jesus told this story:
1) For all Christians to shamelessly and boldly ask God for help in times of need. But remarkably, and the difference is that God is not answering from a locked house.

2) To pray persistently. The encouraging thing about the passage is that the three verbs (ask, seek and knock) show a continual habit. It is indirectly saying to us, “keep on asking… keep on seeking…..keep on knocking.” Do not be satisfied to just ask once and move on.

3) To pray expectantly. Jesus say, “For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father.” Praying expectantly means we are trusting God for the outcome. It means praying expectantly without doubting that God will come through for us. Whatever we are asking God for, we need to avoid doubting Him. In can be tempting to start doubting when we have been praying for a long time. We may have to pray many times before we see God answer us. We need to have persistence and have faith that He does hear us. The Bible actually tells us to never stop praying. God wants us to go to Him with all our requests and burdens. So let us take them to Him in faith.

We should never forget that if someone is willing to pray, there is a God who is willing to answer. Prayer is not thrown into space. A committed Christian has a committed God always ready and willing to act for him or her. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God hear us when we pray. May He bless us and our household always through Christ our Lord Amen. Good morning.