Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time
July 24, 2022 •
It is appropriate that we pray today for our brothers and sisters in need, because the readings today focus specifically on the importance of prayer, and on one element in particular which is persistence or perseverance.
Our Lord is telling us in the gospel that you need to be faithful, you need to continue to pray for that which you need, that which you want, that which is good for you, and if you persist, you will receive. . . .
Now, if your neighbor who is not necessarily helping you out of virtue, is willing to give you what you want just to get you off his back, how much more will God - Who Loves you and Who wants to give you what is good - give you that which you ask for? When you pray with persistence. Faithfully. For however long it takes. . . .
The temptation we have I those moments is to say, "Well, it doesn't do any good. I'm going to quit praying, I didn't get what I asked for, obviously, I'm not going to get it."
And that's a huge mistake because more often than not, when the Lord wants you to wait, it's because the gift that he wants to give you is greater than the one you have asked for.
But prayer alone is not enough. Prayer requires sacrifice as well. Jesus prayed on our behalf, but He also sacrificed Himself to obtain that grace.
Oftentimes, one of the sacrifices that God expects from us is perseverance. You just gotta keep praying.
Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-3, 6-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13
Homily begins at 23:08