Luke 11:5-13

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

I wonder if we actually believe this. The gospel about the mustard seed comes to mind here. That parable teaches, if we simply unite our prayer with God we can do great things. But when we make petitionary prayer, and ask God for His blessing and favor, we don’t always get what we want. So what does this gospel actually mean.

God wants to give us everything…, He is the good father, and He loves us all so much, but He also knows that some gifts would actually be a curse, either to myself or to others. Think of the movie Bruce Almighty. In the that movie Bruce is given the power of God, and because he is human, he cant handle all of the prayer requests coming in, so he grants all of the requests at once, everyone gets what they pray for, and it was a calamity for the world. Clearly not all prayers could or should be granted.

But what about the important ones, what about the prayers for healing? This is where the big picture of God comes into play. We cannot understand why God allows innocents to be harmed or the evil to be healed, but I do know that it will all be revealed at the end of time, and I guarantee, that the plan will be greater and more awesome then we could possibly imagine.

But I think that the most important message of this gospel comes at the end. He says “I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” If you have an important petition, pray for it constantly. Pray without ceasing, and you will see miracles happen. I believe it was Augustine that said that sometimes God does not grant your prayers right away because He needs time to help you prepare your heart and soul to receive it. So humbly pray, God does hear you, and then wait, and trust that He will provide, in His time, and in His way.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Oh lord, help me today to have the grace to trust that you will hear my prayers, and that you will grant my petitions in your way, and in your time, and I know that it will be awesome when you do.