Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Felmar Fiel SVD – Verbum, UPLB, Laguna
Thursday 27th Week in Ordinary Time
One time, a parishioner knocked on our gate asking for a priest because a family member was dying. An SVD missionary who was hardly conversant in English, much less Tagalog, hesitated at first but realizing no other priest was around, he eventually responded to the call. All he ended up doing was to hold the dying person’s hands. Consoled, the parishioner thanked the priest for being an answered prayer.
Our Gospel for today is one of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples regarding prayer. This one is on perseverance. Bothering our friends during ungodly hours may strain our relationship, but storming God with prayers doesn’t create enmity between Him and us. On the contrary, prayers bring us closer to Him.
This Gospel is also an invitation to always trust the Father’s good and gracious response. God is good and He will give what is good. The Psalm beautifully reminds us: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”(Psalm 34:8).
St. John XXIII (1881-1963), whose feast day falls today, prayed persistently that he may be guided in his daily decisions as Pope. When he brought up the idea of Vatican II, a Curia official said that it would be “absolutely impossible” to open it by 1963. Trusting in God’s providence, he answered: “Fine, we’ll open it in 1962,” and it happened.
Sometimes we get discouraged and lazy and end up not spirit-filled in prayer. But remember, God is wealthy beyond all imagination. When he gives, he gives in abundance – good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.
Let us then ask, seek and knock with persistence. We can expect that the best of His gifts will be ours.
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