17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 28, 2013
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Many of us would never let in a stranger who came to our door late at night, such as occurs in the Gospel today. In year past, this would not be the case. Fifty years ago there was a greater trust in the intentions of people around us. My grandparents lived on a farm and often give hospitality to poor souls who wandered on the property.
He was “cut to the heart” in discovering Christian captivesSt. Peter Nolasco was shocked and moved in finding Christians held captive and in danger of losing their faith. Read more about his heroic life and what he did about it on the website of the .
Visit the Mercedarians’
These homeless men would receive a place to sleep and hot meals for as long as they wished. In exchange, they would be expected to help out on the farm. Inevitably, these men would leave after a few months traveling on to the next town or home. This is one account, but many of us can remember a simpler time when we felt safer. Nobody locked their doors and neighbors were treated like family.
Persistently knock
However, times have changed. We can no longer allow someone into our house whom we don’t know or even answer the door late at night. And if they persistently knock at the door, well then we are definitely not going to let them in!! Anyone stubbornly seeking assistance late at night would be consider either crazy or intoxicated.
Jesus’ parable was for a different time and yet we still can see its value: Jesus is trying to teach us about the Father. Sometimes human experiences help us to know who God is, but often they are insufficient. We must resist the temptation to make God in our Image or box Him in based on our experiences of persons — particularly parents or authority figures. Yes, sometimes we will have great examples in our lives who will show us God, but other times this is not true at all.
Know Who He is
How do we come to know who God really is? First, we can turn to the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. We also must experience God through an intimate relationship which grows throughout a lifetime. This takes prayer and time. Jesus in the Gospel shows us one clear way God works in our lives. We are told that the Father wants us to be very persistent with our prayers. Jesus tells us, “ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Nag God?? This should seem strange for us. God already knows what we need. He is always present with us. God is very attentive to our prayers. So why is it that the Father would want us to ask so often? Well, God is not doing it for Himself, but for our benefit. When we ask and seek for our needs with faith, our desires will be purified and stretched. We come to understand how God’s answers to our pleas are most beneficial. We grow in faith and our ability to persevere despite the difficulties.
He stretches our capacity
Today’s readings reveal to us the mysterious ways of our God. Although His love, knowledge, and compassion are beyond ours, the Father stretches our capacity by allowing us to be persistant in our petitions. Over time a life of persistent prayer purifies our desires enabling us to seek the eternal things — leading us to strive for heaven, where persistent prayer is fulfilled by communion with the beloved.