Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

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Gospel
Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'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 him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

"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.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
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?"

Reflection

What Luke is reminding us is how persistence is very essential when we deal with the things of God. When we ask for something, it is not simply expecting an answer right away and everything is fixed. It's a work that we enter into with Him.

We seek and we look for things. We open doors and find other ways of handling something. We consistently go back over and over to what is possible as a way of working through whatever we pray for. It's a process, not just a quick fix.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, when we turn to you and ask for an answer, ask for directions, give us patience. There are so many things that work together to make a decision. And we need your help, and you need our time. So bless us with perseverance. And we ask this in Jesus, name, Amen.