The Persistent Stream

~~~ Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~ Genesis 18:20-32~~Psalm 138 ~~ 

~~~ Colossians  2:12-14 ~~~ Luke 11:1-13 ~~~

...he will get up to give him whatever he needs

because of his persistence...

The dictionary defines persistence...

the quality that allows someone to continue doing something

 or trying to do something even though it is difficult 

or opposed by other people...

the state of occurring or existing beyond the usual, 

expected, or normal time

Perhaps our experience of persistence does 

make us think of children.

When a parent is confronted with the persistence

 of a toddler one tactic is to create a distraction.

Maybe we recall the well known story 

of the hare and the tortoise when we think of persistence.

The tortoise is a prime example of the rewards of being persistent.

He wins the race...

Is your prayer life about winning the race?

When it comes to our prayer life

we, as adults, are encouraged to be persistent.

...ask and you will receive;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you. 

We are encouraged to keep praying 

even though it is difficult.

We are encouraged to keep praying 

even though we do not feel God is listening.

We are encouraged to keep praying

even though others tell us it is a waste of time.

Are we foolish to believe that persistence 

is useful when it comes to our selfish wants and needs?

Persistence in prayer helps us to overcome all odds

 that life appears to be against us.

Our prayer life must not be defeated

by those who tell us it does not make a difference.

Persistence in prayer must also to be supported by humility.

Persistence in prayer means to keep asking

with the knowledge that we will accept God's will.

Persistence in prayer carries us beyond

 our own shortcomings.

Persistence in prayer solidifies our faith.

Jesus gives us the words of the Our Father.

Saint Paul tells us to pray 

without ceasing.

Lord, on the day I called for help, 

you answered me.

We can only fail in our prayer life 

when we give up....when we stop having

 hope in the Lord.

When it comes to your prayer life

it is wonderful to be hard headed and persistent.

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, 

the stream always wins; not through strength

 but through persistence.

Wise words from Buddha.

Prayer in our life must be like a stream

 quietly flowing through our souls.

Blessings of persistence in prayer.

~~~Peace~~~

Corresponding Grace

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Why does Jesus need to tell us to ask, seek and knock?

Are we afraid of coming to Jesus with our needs?

Do we feel if we do not ask then we cannot be denied?

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Our prayers are always answered, but we 

do not always understand the answer.

There are passages in scripture that reveal 

to us just how long it sometimes takes 

for prayers to be answered.

The Israelites were in the desert for forty days.

Queen Esther lay face down on the ground in prayer.

She surrounded herself with her servants and maids.

Esther was attempting to isolate herself from outside distractions.

Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,

O LORD, my God.

Esther cries out to the Lord 

in her most desperate time of need.

What about us?

Do we wait until we are desperate?

Isn't it much better to keep the lines 

of communication open with God all of the time?

Have you ever considered this...

What if God answers your prayers in order to reach someone else?

This may be how it happens...

You pray...God answers...you praise God for his answer...

you share this with someone else...

that person now finds reason to ask God for their needs.

Your Blessings from God are never just for yourself.

I heard this on the radio this morning.

Have you ever taken your blessings 

and used that grace to help you reach out to others?

Every Blessing comes with corresponding grace,

it is this grace which prepares us to reach out to someone in need.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. 

God makes all things work for good...his good.

Be willing, especially during this time of Lent,

 to God using you for the work in his kingdom here on Earth.

You have a unique part in his divine plan.

~~~Peace~~~

The Open Door

~~~ Malachi 3:13-20B ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 11:5-13 ~~~

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.

You are most likely very familiar with this text

 from the Gospel of Luke.

In this passage a visitor arrives late and the host does not have 

any bread so he goes to a neighbor's house.

The host believes his neighbor to also be his friend

until he fails to unlock the door.

Instead the neighbor calls out his excuses 

for not getting out of bed.

It is often during difficult times in our life 

when we discover those who are our true friends.

Sometimes we are surprised...

We can be surprised by those who do not respond,

and surprised by those who do respond.

It seems that those we thought were friends are unpredictable.

This is precisely where Jesus enters into the picture.

Jesus is your friend...

Jesus is reliable...

Jesus will always be there for you.

Jesus gives freely of himself to you.

Jesus opens his heart to love you.

Jesus never leaves the door closed.

Jesus is never too tired to be there for you.

Jesus wants you to find him...he wants to take care of you.

For everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The eternal love Jesus has for you is there for the asking.

A true friend's love is a mere drop in the bucket

compared to the love Jesus has for you.

Open my heart, Lord so that I may know

 the great power and strength of your love.

No door can separate you from the love

 and friendship of Jesus.

You have a friend in Jesus forever.

~~~Peace~~~

The Answer is...

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~ 

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

During our entire life we never run out of things to ask God for...

What was the latest request you made of him?

During our entire life there is always something

 else we are seeking...

Are you seeking for something special today?

During our entire life we find many things...

How many things have we found when looking

 for something else?

During our entire life we knock on many doors...

some are opened, but some remain closed to us.

How many doors have you stood before?

Are there doors you are still hoping will open?

During our entire life many things are revealed to us 

by having an open heart.

Is your heart open to receive his word today?

Save us from the hand of our enemies;

turn our mourning into gladness

and our sorrows into wholeness.

Some may have thought Esther acted irrationally,

but she threw herself at the mercy of God.

She did everything in her power to save her people.

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,

had recourse to the LORD.

We may not be seized with mortal anguish 

when we come to the Lord.

No need to wait until that happens to your heart.

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

We are Blessed with a God who invites us

 to come to him at any time.

He waits for us to ask, seek, find, knock and open.

He is the answer to all our desires.

~~~Peace~~~

Standing at the Door

~~~ Galatians 3:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 69 ~~~  Luke 11:5-13

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.

We are all familiar with these words from the Gospel.
Yesterday we had the words of the Lord's Prayer and now we hear
more direct words concerning our the health of our soul.
Jesus tells us we must talk to him...
we must ask for what we need and want.
There is something to be said about
speaking up for what you need.
If you can ask for what you want that means you have
 given some thought to your desires.

If you do not know what you want then you cannot ask for it.
You will receive, but it is best to be open as to how God will answer.

Seeking God is something that our inner most being
long for before we realize it is happening.

...seek and you will find...

How many times do we seek without knowing
what it is we are looking for?

I have most of the I Spy children's books. On every page of these
books you are searching for various different objects.

Even though they are very visible they are difficult to locate.
How many times do I just look right past what
I am actually looking for?

It is so easy to overlook what is right before our eyes.
How many times do we find something we were not looking for?
How many times do we find something only later
 to realize it was what we should have been looking for initially?

Whenever you seek you will find something.

...knock and the door will be opened to you...

If you stand before without knocking who will come?
Knocking alerts those inside to your presence.
Standing at the door without knocking serves no purpose.
If you knock on the door you have some
expectations about it being opened.

It takes a certain amount of courage to knock on the door.
It takes courage because you risk being turned away...rejected.
But when you knock, the door could be opened with
the invitation extended for you to come inside.

Will you actually cross over the threshold?
Are you prepared for what you
will find on the other side of the door? 

Are you willing to ask, seek, and knock?
Each requires you to make the first move.
You must do the asking...you must do the seeking,
and you must go to the door and knock.

What you ask may lead to the desire to seek
 which may direct you to the right door, then you can knock.

All can be blessed with God's grace.
His grace guides us to the right door; for knocking on the
 wrong door would be counter productive.

Where are you on this continuum?
Are you making requests today?  Are you seeking for something?
Or are you finally standing at the door?
Are you ready to raise your fist to knock on the door?

You must take action.
Blessed with the invitation and the courage to respond.
~~~Peace~~~

Keep Knocking

 

~~~ Malachi 3:13-20b ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 11:5-13 ~~~

 

The fragrance of baking bread is almost intoxicating,
You cannot confuse it with any other smell.
Bread is a staple food in every culture.
It is used almost as another utensil...
we use it for sandwiches, to sop up gravy,
or to just enjoy it warm slathered with melting butter.

Baking in general but especially bread symbolizes hospitality.
Making bread requires few ingredients, but it does require patience.

At what hour of the night would you not
 be willing to open your door for your neighbor?

I remember a few years ago our son was driving home with a friend.
We did not know exactly what time he would arrive.
He finally showed up at the door in the wee hours of the morning.
We were so excited to see him even though it was way past our bedtime.
This was a joyful time this was our son coming home,
whom we had not seen in a couple years.

Today we are being invited to share this same
 sense of hospitality with our neighbor.

...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.

Perhaps the smell of the bread brought the neighbor to this door.
The first knock may have been easy to ignore.
Maybe the person would just go away.
But if the knocking persists we can no longer pretend we do not hear it.
 

 But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves;
what better way than through hospitality.
When was the last time you truly felt welcomed?
When was the last time you opened your heart to another,
welcoming them to journey with you?

 

 

Jesus tells us today through these very familiar words...
he is always with us....
He welcomes us with open arms of compassion, mercy, and love.
If we never seek him we cannot experience finding him.
Jesus is present yet he wants us to seek more of him;
so that when we do find him he can be generous to us.

 ...everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

  

He is standing on the other side of the door waiting for us to seek him...
waiting for us to find him...
waiting for us to knock on the door.
Jesus is dying to open the door for you.
He is waiting to hear your knock on the door.
He is ready to shower you with his eternal hospitality.

Ask, Seek, Knock...Knock, Seek, Ask

Receive, Find, Open...Open, Find, Receive. 

 

Blessings in being persistent...
especially with God.
He is the Bread of Life.

A.S.K...Ask, Seek, Knock

 

~~~ Genesis 18:20-32~~Psalm 138~~Colossians 2:12-14~~Luke 11:1-13~~~

~~~Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

 

From fifty to ten; Abraham keeps reducing the number of good people.

How many are too few for the Lord to save?

“For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”

In reality it is probably fair to say

 if there was one good person left the city would have been spared.

God was listening to Abraham each time he spoke.

He never said to him be quiet you are bothering me.

He never said go away and leave me alone.

He never said this is my final decision I will not change it.

 

What does it mean to be innocent?

Today our courts sometimes send mixed messages.

Our laws are open to argument and interpretation.

Often it is confusing to determine the difference between

 innocent and guilty.

 

In the end it is only God who determines guilt or innocence.

God never says tell me your side of the story.

He already knows.

 

 

Suppose one of you has a friend...who says in reply...

‘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.

Jesus simply says do not be discouraged; just keep asking...

keep seeking...keep knocking.

Jesus restores our hope, not just in him,

 but also in our neighbors.

 

Abraham hopes that the Lord will find

some good left in the city slated for destruction.

 

The friend hopes that the neighbor will find some

good within to help him.

God is always looking for the good in each of us.

He knows it is there even if it is hidden from others.

 

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

 

Teach us to pray, Lord, because at times we are just not sure.

We sometimes question our ability to pray,

 when we do not received the answers we expect.

 

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Three-fold Blessings...

Ask, Seek, Knock

You are never bothering the Lord.

What Brings You Joy?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 18:23-28 ~~~ Psalm 47 ~~~ John 16:23b-28 ~~~

 

"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete..."

Jesus reveals his oneness with God the Father.

Your prayers to the Father can be made in the name of the Son, Jesus.

When you make prayers to the Father they can also be made through the Jesus.

The Father will respond because the Father and the Son are one.

 

Jesus taught his disciples to pray to God the Father,

but now that he is leaving them things will change.

He is encouraging them to pray to himself as well.

 

Answered prayers contribute to our complete joy.

What is your initial thought when you reflect on the word joy?

St. Paul says 'consider it all joy'.

How is that possible within the world we live in today?

Do we need to look for joy?

Do we need to create our own circumstances for joy?

Is your joy the same as my joy?

Do we make up our own definition of joy?

 

What brings you joy?

Is it loved ones...nature...prayer...God?

 

 

 

'...the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me...'

 

This is one of the most wonderful statements made by Jesus.

If you were thinking that the Father was strict and sometimes even cruel;

per some accounts in the Old Testament.

 

Most parents have affection for those who love and care for their children.

Jesus is validating this truth as well as the closeness between

the Father and the Son.

 

This great love between the Father and the Son is what made our salvation a reality.

Without this unfathomable love we would be a very different people.

Jesus also expressed great joy in being reunited with the Father.

 

"...Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

 

The love between the Father and the Son

has given us a picture of complete joy.

 

The Easter Blessing of complete joy

given to us in answered prayers.

Ask...Seek...Knock

The Year of Faith begins today

Dear Lord, increase my faith so that my doubts will be

transformed through your love and grace.

 

~~~ Galatians 3:1-5 ~~~ Response from Luke 1 ~~~ Luke 11:5-13 ~~~

 

Jesus speaks directly to each of us with his profound words today.

I can imagine him standing before me as I struggle to formulate

my feeble words of prayer.

 

"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..."

 

Why, Lord, am I always asking something of you?

Why, can I not just be content and satisfied with what you have

thus far bestowed on me?

What am I looking for?

You are with me. I live and move and have my life in you.

Where is this restlessness leading my heart?

The doors are many; which one should I knock upon?

Which one is the door meant for me?

Are all the doors entryways into the same room?

I am standing at the door...

Sometimes afraid and reluctant to knock.

What if you actually do open the door, then what?

Will I have the conviction to walk through?

Will I have the strength to cross over the threshold?

 

I know you have answered my prayers so many times during my life.

How many times have I received without noticing?

How long will you be patient with me, Lord?

 

I believe your words spoken to us today.

I believe you do answer each and everyone of my prayers,

even if I may not be able to grasp your answer.

 

"...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?"

 

Certainly all that I have comes as gift to me, freely given.

There is no way I could earn your blessings.

 

 

There are times when I have experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life.

Those times have been wonderful and touched my soul deeply.

I am committed to remain true to the faith that has sustained me

thus far on my journey. 

 

"...Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?"

 

Reading the scriptures and reflecting on their message daily

keeps me ever mindful of the wonders and blessings

given to us by our loving God.

 

If you do have faith you can move mountains and open doors

because you are never walking alone.

 

May God continue to answer your prayers and mine

even when we want to say,

'Really God?' 

The Days of Our Lives

~~~ Esther C: 12, 1-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matt. 7: 7-12 ~~~

Today's readings are very explicit in their combined message. First we hear from the book of Esther, which is rarely used in the Mass.

This short excerpt from Esther speaks volumes about how we are to approach prayer. She is a queen and yet she removes her royal clothing, her crown, and her jewels. She summons her handmaids to besiege God with her prayers. She realizes that in spite of all the worldly, earthly riches and wealth she has acquired;

 she is ultimately dependent on God.

"Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,

for I am taking my life in my hand."

She and her attendants prostrate themselves face down on the ground from 'morning until evening.' In this position she allows herself to become totally vulnerable to outside forces. She cannot see anything but the ground before her.

Part of her prayer is asking for wisdom, 'Put in my mouth persuasive words...', she prays. She has come to accept that she can only rely on God to help her. She has read the sacred texts, she knows the stories, she acknowledges who she is turning to for intercession.

When we turn to God in prayer we must come in our stripped vulnerable state. There is no reason to try and pretend with God that you are someone other than who you are in your most weakened state. God does not need to hear your excuses for this or that. He wants you to turn to him in ultimate surrender...prostrated before him...in total dependence on him.

God wants us to sing with the psalmist, '...I called for help, you answered me.' He alone can save us. He alone can answer our prayers.

This message of God answering our prayers is further emphasized in Matthew's gospel through the often quoted words of Jesus.

"Ask and it will be given to you; 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."

Jesus felt so strongly about this message getting through to us that he states it once simply and in the next sentence he elaborates on its meaning. God wants us to trust him completely with the days of our lives.

The gospel test ends with the greatest commandment of all,

" Do to others, whatever you would have them do to you."

I must ask myself, "If I want God to answer my prayers. What is my responsibility in this relationship? Is it only that I lay prostrate and surrender my all to him or is there something more? If I am honest with myself I must accept that there is more. The more is contained in how I treat others. The good ole Golden Rule will always keep you grounded before God.   

God always answers prayers; just not always in the way we had expected.

Sometimes the answer is disguised camoflaged hidden from our sight,

but always there is a response.