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Thursday – Twenty-seventh Week – OT1
Readings: Mal 3:13-20b; Lk 11:5-13.
Reading 1 (Mal 3:13-20b):
You have defied me in word, says the LORD, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, and going about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened attentively; and a record book was written before him of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name. And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God, and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Gospel (Lk 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?”
I. THEME: Perseverance is the key for success.
Many people when they did anything, want to see results right away, they have no patience to wait; but perseverance in suffering is the main factor to decide between success and failure. This is true to all areas: study, investment, career and religion. The one who has no patience is easy to be deceived, because he often changes and has no clear attitude. In opposition, the persevering one is not easy to be deceived or changed because he is very firm on what he believed and chose.
Today readings teach people to be persevered in waiting for results. In the first reading, the prophet Malachi conveyed God’s message to the Israelites: They must be perservered in waiting for the day of God’s judgment; they cannot loose their patience when they saw the wicked prospered and were not be punished. When the Day of God comes, they will see God’s justice. In the Gospel, Jesus taught his disciples to be persevered in prayer. He promised them: “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.”
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: Must be patience to wait for the day of God’s judgment.
1.1/ Why did God not punish the wicked? As said above, people have a tendency to see results at once. When they saw that they had kept carefully God’s commandments, and they did not see their reward but see sufferings instead; meanwhile when they looked to the wicked, they were still alive and prospered. Many came to the conclusion: “It is vain to serve God,and what do we profit by keeping His command, and going about in penitential dress in awe of the Lord of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity.”
Two main things which people who came to such conclusion did not recognize: First, the result of listening and practicing God’s will can not be evaluated on material gains; but on the peaceful mind and happiness in life. Second, God is patience with people, He gives them many opportunities to change and waits for them to change. If God punishes them as soon as they make a mistake, how many people can still live in this world?
1.2/ God’s Day of Judgment will come: In this day, all will see the distinction between the just and the wicked, those who worshipped God and those who did not worship Him. The wicked thought no one knows their iniquities; but God had the record book as the prophet Malachi described: “Then they who fear the Lord spoke with one another,and the Lord listened attentively; and a record book was written before himof those who fear the Lord and trust in his name.” God will judge people according to their deeds and punish or reward them accordingly.
(1) Those who worship God: “And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him… for you who fear my name, there will arisethe sun of justice with its healing rays.”
(2) Those who are wicked and arrogant: “For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts.”
2/ Gospel: Whoever askes will receive, finds will be found, knocks will be opened.
2.1/ One must ask when he is in need even he has to bother others: Jesus brought out a story to illustrate that his disciples must be persevered in prayer.
(1) The reaction of the one who is in need: The need of the one who has a visited friend during midnight, put him in a difficult situation: either to let his friend to go to bed hungry or to ask his neighbor to loan him some bread. He knew he will bother his neighbor; but if he does not do so, he will be inconsiderate to his friend. Because of his hospitality to his guest, he decided to bother his neighbor and asked him: “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.”
(2) The neighbor’s reaction: He replied: “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.”The one in need could predict his neighbor’s reaction, but he was determined to keep asking until he gets the result. The neighbor must arise and give him what he asked, because he did not want his family to be awaken all night. And Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”
The Greek noun is used here, anaídeia. This noun has two meanings:
– negatively: to indicate the one who is not sensible to other’s denial or contempt, not shy, or stubborn.
– positively: to indicate the one who is patient or persevered until he reaches the result. He does not care how long must he wait, where can he find, and who can he ask? This is the attitude which Jesus wants his disciples to have when they ask anything from God. The reason for this attitude is because the petitioner doesn’t have other choice.
2.2/ Comparison between the heavenly Father and a earthly father: In order for his disciples to know God’s consideration for them, Jesus used a practical example of the love of an earthly father: “What father among you would hand his son a snakewhen he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?” No father on earth will do that to his children.
Jesus led them to the love of their heavenly Father and said: “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?” God is supreme good and powerful, He will give to His children what is necessary. The Holy Spirit is the origin of all gifts, He knows what people need and bestows on them properly.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We need to learn and to reflect to find out which way must we follow; once we know the way, we must be ready to overcome all trials and sufferings to reach our goal.
– We must be persevered in faith and in practicing God’s and Church’s teachings. To avoid the attitude to listen to everybody and to do what they do, we need to understand Scripture and the Church’s teachings.
– We must be persevere in prayer even we must wait a long time, because God is the merciful Father, He will bestow good things to those who put completely their trust in Him.