Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 25, 2022 Cycle C

by Rev. Jose Maria de Sousa Alvim Calado Cortes, F.S.C.B.
Pastor, Church of St. Peter, North St. Paul, MN

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Sunday Reading Meditations

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen."

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk11:1). Today’s readings speak about prayer. As today’s prayer over the offerings says, prayer leads us to eternal gladness. We need to pray with trust and persistence.  I am very impressed by the witness of those praying in our adoration chapel. Seeing others praying in the presence of the Lord intensifies our prayer.

In today’ first reading, Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah, imploring God not to destroy those two perverted cities. Abraham is a model of prayer of intercession. The Catechism says: “In intercession, he who prays looks ‘not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,’ even to the point of praying for those who do him harm” (CIC #2635).

Jesus is the model and master of prayer. Jesus was so impressive when he was at prayer that the apostles asked him to teach them how to pray: “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’” (Lk 11:1). Like the apostles, we need to ask Jesus to teach us to pray.

Jesus taught them the Our Father. The Lord’s Prayer positions our hearts before God. Jesus shares the intimacy of his relationship with the Father. As today’s alleluia refrain says, “You have received a Spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, Father.”

Christian prayer is simply to participate in Jesus’ prayer to the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit.

With the parable of the man who knocks on his friend’s door at midnight, Jesus stresses the importance of persistence in prayer: “[…] 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” (Lk 11:8).

Jesus encourages us to pray with him and in him. There are no unanswered prayers: “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).

Jesus teaches us how to pray. We just need just ask him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In our parish, we are graced with an adoration chapel, a house and school of prayer where Jesus is always present. As you know, the chapel is closed on weekends because we do not have enough people signing up to cover all the hours. How great it would be if more people signed up for adoration.

Jesus tells us that even wicked parents give only good things to their children. God is good! He has much more in store for us! As Jesus says, “If you then […] 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?” (Lk 11:13). The Father wants to give us everything. We just need to ask.

May Mary’s example and powerful intercession help us to pray with trust and persistence.  Amen.