Skip to main content

A humble heart

Gospel
Luke 11:1-13
How to pray

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
    He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:

‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’

He also said to them:
    ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
    ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

Reflection
No loving father would give a stone or a snake to his hungry son if he asked for a piece of bread or a fish. Jesus used the absurdity of that analogy in Matthew 7 to underscore the heavenly Father’s readiness to give good things to His children when they ask Him. He wanted them to have complete confidence in the Father’s provision for their spiritual needs. In a nutshell we have the right to ask but it is God who decide.

Let us pray
Lord Jesus show me what it means to have a humble heart . Let me not throw my life away but live my life glorifying your mighty and holy name.

Amen





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The kingdom of God is among us

Gospel Luke 17:20-25 The kingdom of God is among you Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’     He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’ Short Reflection In this passage, Jesus redirects a fundamental human and religious question: "When?" The Pharisees are looking for a timetable, a visible political or cosmic event. Jesus' answer is startling. He says the Kingdom of God is...
Post a Comment
Read more

17 The Rich Man

Gospel Matthew 19:16-22 If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own There was a man who came to Jesus and asked, ‘Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said, ‘Which?’ ‘These:’ Jesus replied ‘You must not kill. You must not commit adultery. You must not bring false witness. Honour your father and mother, and: you must love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?’ Jesus said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.  Reflection This passage challenges us to look beyond mere religious compliance. The young man lived a moral life, yet ...
Post a Comment
Read more

No respect for Christ or John

Gospel Matthew 11:16-19 They heed neither John nor the Son of Man Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place: “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.” ‘For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.’ Short Reflection Jesus paints a picture of a generation that refuses to be pleased, not because the message is flawed, but because their hearts are closed. They found fault with John the Baptist's asceticism, calling him possessed, and they find fault with Jesus' approachability, calling him a glutton. The problem is not the style of the messenger, but the unwillingness of the audience to respond to...
Post a Comment
Read more