2025 Jul 27 SUN: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Gn 18: 20-32/ Ps 138: 1-2. 2-3. 6-7. 7-8 (3a)/ Col 2: 12-14/ Lk 11: 1-13

We can take the second reading today to provide a foundation for what is being discussed in the first reading and the Gospel. So from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, we have a statement about the death and resurrection of Jesus and the sacrament of baptism. He says that each of us in our baptism has been joined with the death of Jesus and with his resurrection. So these are gifts. This is a mystery which we are living now. And if we are aware of how great this gift of baptism is, we will understand how to pray and particularly we come to understand that we must pray in order to emphasize and affirm the relationship which is set up because of this entry into Jesus' Paschal Mystery. So in the first reading we have Abraham bargaining with God. And there really is no definite conclusion here and in fact Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. But this bargaining that Abraham carries out is a sign to us of the mercy of God. And we must have mercy on our minds when we pray. We say God is merciful; we must be merciful as well.

So we come to the Gospel. We have a parable and we are called to imagine someone who has called it a night and locked the door and gone to bed. And then at midnight somebody comes knocking with this request. And it is a perfectly normal thing to say, "I can't do that." But Jesus says it is because of persistence that the man in bed will get up and give what the petitioner is asking for. I always want to edit one of the lines in here. Jesus says he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. I always want to read it: He will get up to give him whatever he needs just to get rid of him.

And then we have the promise from Jesus. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. We understand that [in] living the mystery of being united with our God, prayer is essential to that relationship. And yes, we ask for many things, but again going back to our foundation in baptism, we come to understand that our God has given us many things, many things which we never thought of asking for. We have our life, we have our health, we have the company of the people that God has put into our lives and they are gift to us. Jesus says if you ask, you will receive the Holy Spirit and that could be like looking at a box we haven't unwrapped. We still need to find out who that Holy Spirit is and what strength God the Holy Spirit gives us. So we need to consider these things about prayer and realize that prayer is not merely petition, it is also thanksgiving. And we enjoy and indeed revel in our relationship with our God as along with the petitions we give thanks for everything.