Homilies | Father Nathan

Father Nathan | Homily

17th Sunday Ordinary Time (July 28)

Lk 11:1-13

Fr.Nathan

Introduction:

“For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds”

With this great assurance the liturgy today concentrates on prayer specifically on the powerfulness of intercessory prayer, the Our Father as the ideal prayer, and the necessity for persistence and perseverance in prayer with trusting faith and boldness. In short, the readings teach us what to pray and how to pray.

Scripture lessons:

The first reading and the gospel leads in to deeper relationship with God.

The first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, gives us the model for intercessory prayer provided by Abraham in his dialogue with God. Although Abraham seems to be trying to manipulate God through his skillful bargaining and humble, persistent intercession, God is actually being moved to mercy by the goodness of a few innocent souls.

In the Gospel passage, after teaching a model prayer, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray to God their Heavenly Father with the same boldness, daring, intimacy, conviction, persistence and perseverance Abraham displayed and the friend in need in the parable employed. He gives us the assurance that God will not be irritated by our requests or unwilling to meet them with generosity.

Life Messages:

We called to have inculcate Father and Child relationship.

Father, is the hero of the family for a child. The Child always wanting to be with his father and the child feel safe and secured with his /her dad. We are invited to maintain the same relationship. The parents are called to pray for their children. Theresa of Child Jesus” If we have not seen Angel praying, come to our home, you can see my Dad stretching out his arms and will be praying for us every evening”

“Prayer doesn’t change God; it changes me.”

A colleague asked C.S. Lewis if he really thought he could change God with his prayer for the cure of his wife’s cancer. Lewis replied: “Prayer doesn’t change God; it changes me.”

William McGill summed it up this way.

“The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us but that we will finally hear God.”

Keep in mind that Jesus has taught us to address God as Father.  A loving Father listens to his child, but does not blindly endorse every request.  Instead, the loving Father provides what is needed, including discipline.

Bishop Sheen has this comment on prayer: “The man who thinks only of himself says prayers of petition. He who thinks of his neighbor says prayers of intercession.”

“I (pray) like children who do not know how to read, I say very simply to God what I wish to say, without composing beautiful sentences, and He always understands me.”

— St. Therese of Lisieux

Have a Blessed Week,

Fr. Nathan