Seventeenth Sunday of Year C
God’s Mercy; Persistence in Prayer,
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael Ufok
§ Genesis 18:20-32
§ Psalm 138:1-3, 6-7, 7-8
§ Colossians 2:12-14
§ Luke 11:1-13
Today, [and in
this Year of Mercy], we celebrate once again God’s Mercy and the need to
constantly praise God, worship him, and petition him for our needs, pray for
one another: our nations, our churches, families and friends. This need is
evidence in today’s Bible Readings.
In the 1st reading
(Genesis 18:20-32), we find Abraham, our father in faith, one of Israel’s
“earliest prophet” (Gen 20:7), interceding, persistently for the sinful cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah. In response to his intercession God shows that he
is not only merciful, forgiving, and kind to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
but also because of lives of a few tens of innocent, prayerful people in these
communities. This is true of us. You never know how far your prayers, those
rosaries we say, those masses we attend—how far your holiness of life and
goodness may have contributed in the blessings of God upon our sinful lands and
families.
As Pope Francis would remind us [when he kicked off in
this Year of Mercy], Christ Jesus (in our NT time) is the face of the God of
Abraham, the Father of Mercy. Christ went to the Cross on our behalf. This is
why Saint Paul says in the 2nd reading (Col 2:12-14) that even
though we were sinners, through Christ’ passion, and intercessions, we, like
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have been saved!
It is through
Christ that we offer our prayers to God the Father. A persistent, short, sweet
prayer of praise, worship, lamentation, and thanksgiving for all that God has
done for us: the life he provides, the air, mountains, seas, food, clothing, nations
and families. Through Christ we should bring our request to God, ask him to
always do his will, and grant our petition for what we need and lack in life-
forgiveness of sins, and blessings upon our land.
This is
exemplified in the today’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-13) the Lord’s Prayer which we
recite at every Mass. We mastered this prayer by heart, when we were
preparing for our various sacraments. In this prayer, Christ teaches us how to
pray. He reminds us that prayer is a relationship, a communication, a dialogue
with God. It requires the intimacy that we find in a child parents
relationship. And must be done with the consistency we saw in Abraham, who
interceded for the cities Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the meaning of
“seek and you will find, knock and he door will be opened.” Do we value prayer?
Do we pray? When and how? What and whom do we pray for? These are some of
the questions we may ask ourselves as we reflect on today’s scriptures.
We may have had
our set-backs (like Job, Habakkuk, Sarah, Hannah, Abraham Lincoln etc.…)
disappointments, threats, failures, loss of our loved ones in life, we must not
give up in prayers. Never Give Up! Prayer is essential for every Christian.
Prayer to our merciful God is essential for family members, friends, and elected
officials. Prayer for ourselves, the church, the sick, the deceased, sinners,
sick nations like Sodom and Gomorrah and for our friends and children.
Reflection
Questions
1.
What prevents us from praying as Christ taught us?
2.
How do we relate to today’s readings?
3.
Do we encourage our neighbors to pray?
4.
Are we persistent in our prayers?
Seventeenth Sunday Year C
Prayer Is the Key to Christian Life
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael Ufok
§ Gen 18:20-32;
§ Ps 138:1-3, 6-8;
§ Col 2:12-14
§ Luke 11:1-13
Prayer is
the Key, Prayer is the Key, Prayer is the Master-Key; Jesus started with Prayer
and ended with Prayer. Prayer is the Master- Key (Song).
This song not only
puts in context what we celebrate today, but it simplifies the Scripture
Readings we have just read. Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the
importance and dimension of Christian Prayer. Just as we need keys to enter our
homes, offices, cars, prayer leads us to God. Prayer puts us in touch with God.
We communicate with God through prayer. We express our trust in Him. We
encounter God through prayer. We speak with Him. We worship Him. We praise Him.
We thank Him. We petition Him. Through prayer we pour our hearts to God.
We ask for what we need. Prayer is the Key to our relationship with God.
Beginning from his
Baptism there is hardly any ministry that Jesus undertook without prayers. He
would always appeal to God His Father, ABBA, whom he trusts. Soon after his
baptism Jesus prayed in Luke 4, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me….” He prayed
to change the Cana-Water into wine in John 2. In the multiplication of the
bread and fish, and during his entire healing ministry, he prayed. He prayed at
the Last Supper and during his trials and agony. And even on the cross, Christ
prayed Psalm 22, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?," (“My God, My
God, why have you abandoned me,” cf. Matt 27:45-46). And even few seconds
before his death he prayed, “Into your hands Lord, I commend my Spirit.”
I have heard some
people asked why it took the disciple of Jesus so long before they would ask
their master in today's gospel to teach them how to pray! I personally think
they needed to observe a little more. Having observed, they found out what
manner of man Jesus is (was): kind, humble, loving, generous to everyone, forgiving,
trusting and very prayerful. It is time for them to learn, to imitate
Christ, “Lord teach us how to pray,” they appealed to Jesus, in today’s Gospel.
Jesus gives them
an example of how to pray, or a model prayer, the “Our Father…”, “the Lord’s
Prayer” which we often pray at least at every Mass we celebrate. It is brief,
straight to the point and requires persistence and expectancy. I know there are
many theories on prayer out there. But the six letters in the name CHRIST
serves as a good pastoral mnemonic for the dimension of a Christian prayer.
This is personal- but this might be useful to you too in your prayer life.
The Letter
“C” in the name of Christ reminds you that our prayer ought to be concrete,
concise, brief and personal; the type Jesus prayed. It doesn't need to
be too long. Think of short payers like, "my Lord and my God, "Jesus
Mary and Joseph," or "Lord have mercy on me I am a
sinner." Jesus teaches us that in our prayer we have to call God our
Father. With this we acknowledge our dependence on Him. We cherish that Father-
Son, or Father- Daughter relationship. This is very important. God is our
Father. Fathers and of course, parents provide for their loving children.
In the letter “H” in the name Christ, we discover that God is not only
our Father, but he is Holy- “Hallowed be thy name.” A holy person is one
we can relate to and faithfully trust. We trust in our Holy God, who is ever
patient with us. God is so holy that, he does not wish us any harm, but always
ready to provide all our needs without strings. When we pray, we can also see
in the Letter “R” in the name of Christ, a God who is the Ruler
and the Sovereign of all creation. He forgives and remits all our sins. And the
more reason Jesus teaches us to say, “Thy Kingdom Come…” In our prayers we pray
for the reign of God, his will, even though our civil leaders.
The Letter “I”
in the name of Christ reminds us of the incidence in today’s first reading (Gen
18:23-32), Abraham interceding for the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is
what Our Blessed Mother Mary did for those who ran out of wine during wedding
at Cana, in John 2. She said, "Son they have no wine." Our prayer
must not be selfishly done. We should always remember to pray and intercede insistently
for one another. Of course, Christ highlights this element of insistence or
persistence in that parable of a friend knocking at his friends’ door late at
night, for bread. In our prayers, God is that door of forgiveness, that door of
blessings, that door of faith, hope and love that we must continuously knock.
In the last two letters, “S” and “T” in the name of Christ, we see
Christ as our Savior- in the Letter “S” whose face we must persistently
seek. And the Letter “T” reminds us of temptations and evils which we
pray the Lord to grant us the grace to overcome when we say, “And lead us not
into temptation but deliver us from all evil.”
Of course, the
grace to overcome evil and to be freed from sins, goes back to the time of our
baptism which St. Paul also acknowledges in today’s Second Reading. Paul says,
“Brothers and sisters: you were buried with in baptism, in which you were also
raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the
dead. And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, he brought you to lifelong with him, having forgiving us all our
transgression…” (Col 2:12-14).
As followers of Christ may we pick up our key of prayer,
learn from Christ how to trust God, and how to always pray patiently, lovingly,
humbly, reverently and persistently for ourselves, for our neighbors(young and
old, sick and healthy, rich and poor) and for the needs of our nations!
Reflection
Questions
1.
What prevents us from praying as Christ taught us?
2.
How do we relate to today’s readings?
3.
Do we encourage our neighbors to pray?
