Our Father in Heaven
Listening the Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Listening the Word: Lk 11: 1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
And he said to them, "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 the visitor 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?"
Reflection
Ask to yourselves why sometimes in your lives, you are tempted to lose your enthusiasm or joy.I asked the same question to myself and I have tried to reply.
Firstly, when I don’t take time to talk with God. Apart from Him, life has no sense. And I encourage you to take ten minutes to stay with God in the chapel orat home, because prayer is the fuel of our life. We have to be careful not to fall in the mindset that we don’t have enough time to pray.
Secondly, I lose my enthusiasm when I forget that life is a gift: each day is an occasion to be grateful for the privilege God has granted me, the opportunity to grow and becomebetter. That is why we have a duty: to share our joywith around us, a joy that is both a gift and a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The liturgy of this seventeenthSunday brings us to reflect on our identity. Christ, the Word of God made flesh has given us the power to become the children of God.
In fact, in the first reading we heard today, Abraham, our father in faith has expressed his confidence in Lthe ord’s Mercy. God will not destroy the city of Sodom for the sake of the faith of ten people who are faithful to His Will. This is hope. The jubilee year of hope is a special occasion given to trust in our heavenly Father and to entrust into his mercy all those who are burdened, who are facing difficulties of life, sothat they may never imagine themselves far from the love of God.
In today’s gospels, one of the disciples asked the Master to teach them how to pray. Indeed, my brothers and sisters, we don’t know how to pray. That is why despite our efforts, we have the impression that God does not hear our pleadings. Actually, prayer is not about shouting, and saying Amen amen… Alleluia; or spending much time to repeat several formulas without any awareness...
Prayer is about a relationship with a Father. Jesus prayed and was in dialogue with the Father. Throygfh him, we are introduced into this relationship. He teaches us to say, when we pray, the prayer called the “Our Father”, which is the model of all prayers. The first part is magnifying the greatness of God the Father and has three statements: - Hallowed be your name; your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. The second part is our demands and supplication:
If we trust God, our anxiety will decrease, allowingus to live more peacefully. In 1P 5:7we are reminded that we have a loving Father who can carry your burdens, who takes care of you more than yourself. So why not hand them over to Him?
Prayer is a powerful way to hand over your burdens to God. Worry opens the door to negative emotions like anxiety, depression and fear. It can even lead to health problems due to stress and sleepless nights. Then, instead of worrying, pray; believe in God. He is the one who transforms the lives of those around them, for God takes care of his children. Let us avoid being the slaves of our past. Instead, let us trust in Him and go ahead with him.
Actually, worrying is a sign of a lack of faith, and Satan uses it to make you doubtGod’s power. The time spent worrying could be used for prayer, planning and strategic thinking. Entrusting your burdens to God does not mean being lazy;it is about finding balance by praying and taking actions guided by faith.
The contrast is clear. Human beings are wicked while God is full of bounty. But, despite our wickedness, we avoid giving bad things to our loved ones. So how much more our Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Let us be active through prayer, reading the Word of God. He will guide you to the right place, help you connect with the right people, and give you the right words for each situation.
On this Sunday, some questions can guide our meditation: Why worrying when we can pray? Why thinking when we can trust? Why be anxious when we can ask? Why be depressed when we can depend on him? Why let our burden weight on us when we can hand it over to Him? Many turn to prayer as a last resort. But prayer should be our first response when facing challenges. Ph 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God”. Lord, teach me how to pray. I would like to live in your intimacy and be united with you and my brothers and sisters. May the gift of humility be my strength now and for ever.
Reflection Questions
1. Why is prayer essential in the life of a Christian, and how does it shape our relationship with God the Father?
2. How can trust in God’s providence help us overcome anxiety, fear, and discouragement in our daily lives?
