| First reading |
|---|
| Genesis 18:20-32 |
The Lord said, ‘How great an outcry there is against Sodom and Gomorrah! How grievous is their sin! I propose to go down and see whether or not they have done all that is alleged in the outcry against them that has come up to me. I am determined to know.’
The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Approaching him he said, ‘Are you really going to destroy the just man with the sinner? Perhaps there are fifty just men in the town. Will you really overwhelm them, will you not spare the place for the fifty just men in it? Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner, treating just and sinner alike! Do not think of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?’ the Lord replied, ‘If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town, I will spare the whole place because of them.’
Abraham replied, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes. But perhaps the fifty just men lack five: will you destroy the whole city for five?’ ‘No,’ he replied ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five just men there.’ Again Abraham said to him, ‘Perhaps there will only be forty there.’ ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the forty.’
Abraham said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry, but give me leave to speak: perhaps there will only be thirty there.’ ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this, but perhaps there will only be twenty there.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the twenty.’ He said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the ten.’
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 137:1-3,6-8 |
| Second reading |
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| Colossians 2: 12-14 |
You have been buried with Christ, when you were baptised; and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead. You were dead, because you were sinners and had not been circumcised: he has brought you to life with him, he has forgiven us all our sins.
He has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it to the cross.
| Gospel | Luke 11: 1-13 |
|---|
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’
He also said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
By Arthur B. Reyes
Among all the Gospel writers, Luke gives the utmost attention to Jesus' teaching on prayer. In today’s Gospel, Jesus Himself tells us to pray without ceasing, “for everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I know a four-year-old child named Cassandra. Every night she asked her nanay or tatay to read to her a short story before sleep. They always gladly did but after several months her tatay got a bright idea. He recorded all the stories on his smartphone and told her to simply play them to hear what she wanted.
She did not like it.
“But, Cassandra,” he told her, “you can still hear it.”
“Yes,” she replied, “but I can’t sit on its lap.”
In analogy with the story, God wants a personal relationship between Him and his people. Isn't it wonderful that our God is eager to spend time with you and with me? However, the only way we can "experience" conversation and communion with Him is through personal communication - through prayer. In prayer we tell and listen, it is a two-way conversation in a very personal way.
When we pray, we entrust everything to God, we put Him first above anyone and everything else around us. And when we put God first, we begin to look at life with a different perspective. No, it’s not like all our troubles and worries go away instantly but we start to look at life's challenges with vigor and resolve.There are times when we were in a situation that looked like to be an epic fail, but is in fact an opportunity to grow. When we put the Lord first we experience the peace that our hearts long for, the peace that only God can give.
It's been two months now that we don't have a working telephone (and internet). No thanks to Public Works Department who keeps digging the street, hitting the telephone cables in the process. My phone handset is useless, my calls would be unanswered as no one will ever hear it.
Prayer needs no telephone line. Jesus says that all we need is call. And keep calling because He will surely answer. Talk about what you want to tell and listen by opening your heart to Him. God hears the prayers of everyone, rich or poor, healthy or frail, young or old. No one is too insignificant to be undeserving of His love.
I read somewhere that when we pray, we remember the following – Love. Wisdom. Power.
- Love of God that wants the best for us.
- Wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.
- Power of God that can accomplish it.
I know a four-year-old child named Cassandra. Every night she asked her nanay or tatay to read to her a short story before sleep. They always gladly did but after several months her tatay got a bright idea. He recorded all the stories on his smartphone and told her to simply play them to hear what she wanted.
She did not like it.
“But, Cassandra,” he told her, “you can still hear it.”
“Yes,” she replied, “but I can’t sit on its lap.”
In analogy with the story, God wants a personal relationship between Him and his people. Isn't it wonderful that our God is eager to spend time with you and with me? However, the only way we can "experience" conversation and communion with Him is through personal communication - through prayer. In prayer we tell and listen, it is a two-way conversation in a very personal way.
When we pray, we entrust everything to God, we put Him first above anyone and everything else around us. And when we put God first, we begin to look at life with a different perspective. No, it’s not like all our troubles and worries go away instantly but we start to look at life's challenges with vigor and resolve.There are times when we were in a situation that looked like to be an epic fail, but is in fact an opportunity to grow. When we put the Lord first we experience the peace that our hearts long for, the peace that only God can give.
It's been two months now that we don't have a working telephone (and internet). No thanks to Public Works Department who keeps digging the street, hitting the telephone cables in the process. My phone handset is useless, my calls would be unanswered as no one will ever hear it.
Prayer needs no telephone line. Jesus says that all we need is call. And keep calling because He will surely answer. Talk about what you want to tell and listen by opening your heart to Him. God hears the prayers of everyone, rich or poor, healthy or frail, young or old. No one is too insignificant to be undeserving of His love.
I read somewhere that when we pray, we remember the following – Love. Wisdom. Power.
- Love of God that wants the best for us.
- Wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.
- Power of God that can accomplish it.
Our Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.
Lord, teach us to pray, and never cease to pray. Amen.
Lord, teach us to pray, and never cease to pray. Amen.
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