Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time--Liturgical Cycle C

First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Second Reading:Col 2:12-14
Gospel: Lk 11:1-13

Lectionary Readings

Homily

After his visit at the home of Mary and Martha, Luke places Jesus and the little company of his disciples (which, hopefully, includes all of us) “on the road again.” As “we” continue our journey with Jesus “up to Jerusalem,” we are again presented with the teachings and sayings of Jesus. In today’s gospel selection, we are told, that after Jesus had finished praying, his disciples (all of us) question him about prayer.

Our church liturgy today helps us to understand, to hear this Jesus teaching on prayer, by citing three other passages from the bible:

(1) the story from Genesis on “persistence”

(2) the responsorial psalm on the effects of prayer (“Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.”)

(3) and finally the passage from Paul about the power of prayer.

The story of Abraham’s persistence reminds us of a youngster’s nagging, “Mom, please! Can I go? Plea…eese! Can I? Everybody’ll be there. Please, Mom? Can I go? PLEA…EEESE!” Now, under such a barrage, who would hand their child a snake, a disappointment?! When we persist in our prayer, can a loving God ignore our pleas?

Sometimes we can think that our prayers go unanswered, unheard. But anyone who stays at it knows that prayer has its own effect. It will be heard. It will be answered. Maybe not the way we wanted, but the way that is best for us.

As Paul points out in our second reading today, the power of prayer comes from our union with Christ. Those who live the baptismal call are incorporated into Christ. We rise with him to new levels of life. It’s like getting into a jet. We take on the speed and the power of the vehicle. When we are at one with the Christ of God we take on that kind of power. When we come together, as we are today, we form a body in Christ (the Body of Christ) whereby we pray all together as “us” and “we” and “our.” The prayer we say together as Church takes on the very power of God.

We find four kinds of prayer, or types of prayer, mentioned in the bible. They are sometimes referred to by the word “ACTS,” a word which is formed by taking the first letter of each type of prayer:

A = Adoration
C = Contrition
T = Thanksgiving
S = Supplication

(And these are all included in our mass liturgy.)

Adoration is the prayer in which we acknowledge and praise God as the first priority in our lives.

In the prayer of Contrition, we confess our sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy.

The prayer of Thanksgiving proclaims God’s many gifts to us as we do so perfectly in our Sunday Eucharist prayers.

Finally, in Supplication, we recognize our helplessness without God’s loving presence.

In all of these types of prayer, Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, (ACTS) we hear Jesus; “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

We learn from our scriptures today:

All four types of prayer must be persistent.
All are heard.
All are answered.

We, on our part, must never despair. We must be open to the answer that is best for us, and must be living in the way of the Lord Jesus, alive in His Body, the Church.



--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed

Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor