Daily Reflections - October 11,2012

 

PERSISTENT AND CONFIDENT IN PRAYER

 

To continue from yesterday’s reflection and lesson on prayer, we realize now that certain qualities must be present in our prayer.

Persistence, for one. Jesus gets this point across in two ways: first, by means of a parable, and then through some direct advice and exhortation.

For all we know, God is already disposed (and more than willing, in fact!) to grant us the graces that we need. As a loving Father, He has already  anticipated our wants. Didn’t His son Jesus already assure us? “Ask and you shall receive... For whoever asks, receives...” But maybe our Lord still wants us to voice out and address our needs to His Father. He wants us to make the effort still of asking, seeking and knocking — if only to remind us of our utter helplessness and total dependence on God. God does not operate on a mere dole-out basis; He never dispenses cheap grace.

And so, we just have to do our part in entreating God, accompanied by the complete confidence that our efforts will not be in vain. It is true that God’s generosity will never be depleted, most especially in terms of bestowing the Holy Spirit upon us.

St. Paul (in the First Reading) asks, “God lavishes the Spirit on you and works wonders in your midst...” Reasoning out from our own human experience, Jesus posits, “If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Given such affirmations and assurances, why should we ever hesitate to invoke the Holy Spirit for all that we do? Let us do so — at the start, during, and at the end of all our endeavors.

Let us never falter in asking God. Let us not easily give up on our prayer, should the Lord delay in granting (or even understandably refuse) what we ask for. Whatever it is, let us be persistent and persevering in our prayer. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you easily give up when God does not seem to listen to your prayers?

 

Father God, help me to always trust that You know what’s best for us. May I learn to persevere and be patient in praying and waiting for Your perfect answers to my prayers.