17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word:
We are called to be laborers in God’s Kingdom to produce abundant harvest.
Theme: We produce abundant harvest when we persevere in prayer.
Promise: “Ask and your will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”(Lk 11:9)
Reflection:
The “Our Father”, also known as the Lord’s Prayer, is best described as the prayer Jesus taught us. It is a complete prayer that teaches us how to pray and relate to God. This brings us to our theme for this week – We produce an abundant harvest when we persevere in prayer. As laborers in God’s Kingdom, what do we really harvest when we pray with perseverance?
In the First Reading, we witness Abraham persistently asking and even bargaining with God to save few righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, including his nephew Lot, and his family. Abraham’s attitude of humility in praying for others, while acknowledging God’s power and omnipotence, gained for him the merciful love of God. God replied, “For the sake of those ten…I will not destroy it,” (Genesis 18: 32).
The responsorial psalm, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me”, affirms how God hears the petition of those who call upon Him. The passages that follow allow us to thank, praise and acknowledge God for the wonderful things He has done. In Psalm 138:1, “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth,” we once again acknowledge God’s gracious response to our plea for help.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds the Colossians that they have been united with Christ through baptism, and that this unity should cause them to reflect upon what God has done in and through Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, it is now possible for us to die to our old sinful self and be raised to new life in Christ. If we persevere in faith, being joined to Christ, we will be able to establish a new and closer relationship with God.
In the Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. This is the highlight of the readings, with Jesus teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, or the ‘Our Father.’ Within our community, we learn that the ‘Our Father’ follows the ACTS format (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication) of prayer. It begins with adoration/acclamation, in which we acknowledge and proclaim God for who He is – the Almighty and Holy One. Contrition follows as we acknowledge who we are before God – we are sinful, unworthy creatures, and we ask for the forgiveness of our sins. The third aspect is thanksgiving, not only for what He has done, but for what He continues to do for us. And finally, supplication. This portion sees us asking, seeking and knocking on the door of God’s heart. These elements make the ‘Our Father’ a complete prayer.
Prayer is really about having the right relationship with our “Abba” Father. The more time we spend in prayer, the closer our relationship is with God. We will come to know who God is and who we are in His eyes. As Christian disciples in community, the challenge for us is to remain steadfast and preserving in seeking and maintaining right relationship with God. Such fruitful relationship produces the abundant harvest we seek as we bring others closer to the Lord. As we thank God, we lift up our needs and those of others to Him. God will never withhold the wonderful gifts He has in store for us. In the gospel Jesus says: “If you with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” (Luke 11: 13).
Let us not grow weary of calling upon the Lord, waiting on Him and persevering in our prayer and faith, for Jesus has this promise for those who never give up: “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you,” (Luke 11: 9).
Prayer:
Thank you Lord God for calling us to a relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus. Help us to pray the Our Father, the prayer He taught us, with fervor and love, and find new meaning as we pray it every day. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1.Does prayer help me improve my relationship with God? What steps should I take in order to spend more time in prayer?
2.Do I pray to give thanks and praise to God, or do I focus more on what I am asking for?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
July 24, 2016 (Sun) Gen 18:20-32/Ps 138:1-2,2-3,6-7,7-8/Col 2:12-14/Lk 11:1-13
July 25, 2016 (Mon) 2 Cor 4:7-15/Ps 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6/Mt 20:20-28
July 26, 2016 (Tue) Sir 44:1,10-15/Ps 132:11,13-14,17-18/Mt 13:16-17
July 27, 2016 (Wed) Jer 15:10,16-21/Ps 59:2-3,4,10-11,17,18/Mt 13:44-46
July 28, 2016 (Thu) Jer 18:1-6/Ps 146:1-2,3-4,5-6/Mt 13:47-53
July 29, 2016 (Fri) Jer 14:17-22/Ps 79:8,9,11,13/Ps34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9,10-11/Jn11:19-27
July 30, 2016 (Sat) Jer 26:11-16,24/Ps 69:15-16,30-31,33-34/Mt 14:1-12
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
WSC Reflection 24 July 2016 Final
