17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: Disciples of Christ are empowered to build God’s Kingdom.
Theme: We are empowered to build God’s Kingdom as we as we honor the Father and persistently pray for all our needs.
Promise: “For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Lk 11:10)
Reflection:
As a Christian, living a prayerful life is an attitude that expresses our dependence on God. In today’s first reading, we witness an event where intercession is a powerful prayer and that persistence brings God to listen to our prayer. In the gospel, Jesus teaches us the correct way to pray to the Father and invites us to wait on God’s providence with purposeful and persistent prayer.
This week, our theme tells us – We are empowered to build God’s Kingdom as we honor the Father and persistently pray for all our needs. When we say our prayers, what is most important is that we accept God for who He is and that He is always ready to listen to us even when we keep on repeating our petition with a persevering attitude. Though we never give up praying to the Father, our thoughts are far from imposing our will on God. Our prayer is one of hope and trust that the Lord’s will is good and perfect for us. We may have our hearts desire but we should echo the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane – “Not my will, but yours be done!” (Mk 14:36).
St. Paul tells us – “Pray without ceasing,” (1 Thess 5:17). Prayer should be a way of life and therefore, it is not an optional activity. Prayer helps us to align our will with God. As believers, we acknowledge our total dependence on God for His grace and power over our lives. Ignoring to pray or considering prayer as unnecessary leads one to become arrogant by thinking that he can handle anything apart from God. Or, he prays as a last resort when everything else fails and becomes hopeless. Some of us may have petitions that we bring before God, perhaps years, and it seems that God is not listening to us. It is easy to lose hope and give up praying. But we need to have faith that God will always act in our best interest. We have to believe that every prayer, done in faith, is being answered. Maybe the answer of the Lord is to be patient and wait for the right time. Maybe God is preparing you for a perfect answer beyond what you ask for. God is listening, He knows our circumstances, and His will is always perfect. We should be ready to accept His will, devoid of hesitation or ill-will.
Persistence is needed in prayer. Jesus tells us this lesson through the story of a persistent person who never gave up asking his friend to lend him three loaves of bread; his friend relented because of his persistence. Just like this person, Jesus tells us to be persistent with the Father. This is our expression of hope and dependence on God who knows the desire of our heart and we are ready to receive His answer to our prayer. We trust God for He is trustworthy and He truly cares about us.
In our perseverance, God sees that we are serious in our prayer. We need to have faith that He hears our prayers and will respond at the precise time that will benefit His most holy Will. Jesus tells us to persevere in faith, to endure trials and temptation, to resist evil, to pray and do good works through the grace that God provides. We may initially be disappointed, but then God knows and gives us what we need, not what we want. Finally, praying with patient endurance will make us understand His will in our lives. Again, St. Paul tells us that “you need endurance to do the will of God and receive what He has promised,” (Heb 10:36).
Prayer does not change the situation but it does change our attitude towards the situation and this can give us hope which then changes our life. Remembering God’s faithfulness will give us the strength and courage we need to withstand the hardships we face in life as we firmly believe in God’s promise that: “For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” (Lk 11:10).
Prayer:
Abba Father, you are faithful. Your word is true and Your promises are sure as You have always provided for Your people. Forgive me when I struggle with discouragement and despair. I get distracted by the cares of the world and give into doubt and temptation. Thank you for the grace and kindness You have shown to me throughout my life. Thank you for the strength and hope You provide. Help me to keep my focus on You, be steadfast in my faith and persevere through hardships. I know that You are the only One whom I can trust. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
- Does prayer help me improve my relationship with God? What steps should I take in order to spend more time in prayer?
- 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, 2022 (Sun) – Gn 18:20-32/ Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8/ Col 2:12-14/ Lk 11:1-13
July 25, 2022 (Mon) – 2 Cor 4:7-15/ Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6/ Mt 20:20-28
July 26, 2022 (Tue) – Jer 14:17-22/ Ps 79:8, 9, 11, 13/ Mt 13:36-43
July 27, 2022 (Wed) – Jer 15:10, 16-21/ Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18/ Mt 13:44-46
July 28, 2022 (Thu) – Jer 18:1-6/ Ps 146:1-2, 3-4, 5-6/ Mt 13:47-53
July 29, 2022 (Fri) – Jer 26:1-9/ Ps 69:5, 8-10/ Mt 13:54-58, or Jn 11:19-27, or Lk 10:38-42
July 30, 2022 (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!”
