SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
23-24 July 2022, Tea and Parker Parishes
Gn
18:20-32
Col
2:12-14
Lk
11:1-13
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this
last time. What if there are at least ten there?” He replied, “For the sake of
those ten, I will not destroy it.”
People who are familiar with the Scriptures, especially with
the Book of Genesis, have to be flabbergasted over this dialogue, over Abraham’s
bargaining, pleading for God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. The only logical
explanation for Abraham insisting with God seems to have been family interest.
Abraham must have pressed God for the sake of his nephew Lot, who chose to move
away from his uncle and take his people and his flocks down into what was then a
lush valley around Sodom and Gomorrah. The idea was that at a distance from
each other the numerous flocks of both men could better prosper than when they
were crowding each other. Abraham gave the younger man the choice of where to
go to settle and Lot picked the valley. Lot did not seem to be aware of or maybe
was just not impressed by the excesses of vice which gripped these two towns. So
now it comes out that these two towns by their evil deeds were crying out to
God for vengeance because of their extreme wickedness. Despite Abraham’s best
efforts to move God to mercy, in the end God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He rained
down fire and brimstone annihilating everyone and everything but Lot and his
children. Lot lost his wealth and his wife, but got out by the skin of his
teeth, thanks to God’s favor to our father in faith. Abraham had tried, but
God’s judgment prevailed. The towns could not be spared as there were not even
ten good people in the place.
We know and believe from
our upbringing that God rewards the good and punishes evil. Interestingly
enough, however, to get that timeless message across is not why the Church has
assigned this part of Genesis 18 as the first reading today. This Sunday in its
liturgy the Church uses this passage from Genesis to illustrate God’s
willingness as a loving Father to hear and answer the prayers of His children. Abraham
was indeed favored by God and the Church wants us to know that so are we. Very
simply stated, our prayers are heard by God, they do work, because God wills it
so.
This
first reading from Genesis complements our Gospel from Luke Chapter 11 where Jesus
teaches His disciples to pray with the words of the Our Father. This Sunday’s Gospel
ends up with Jesus teaching: “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 has chosen
us in Baptism, and He favors us out of love despite our unworthiness. Jesus
assures us that the Father hears and answers our prayers. We need but engage
Him with confidence as did Abraham long ago. “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?”
Our Gospel passage
today starts out with the disciples saying, “Lord, teach us to pray!” Jesus basically
responds, “Say the Our Father!” Then Jesus goes on to encourage His listeners
by giving them a real pep talk about what prayer does, what prayer can or
should mean for them in their lives. Sadly, this truth is one most of us
struggle to embrace. To say that another way: most people hesitate to ask God’s
help. Not only that, but when they encounter people who do ask and ask God’s
help with insistence, they feel a bit embarrassed. There’s a whole body of
catechesis even, which tends to discourage our prayers of petition and
supplication in favor of praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving are
fine, but God does not really need them. The words of Christ are before us to show
that God wants to encourage us to ask of Him, to thereby praise Him, by
declaring our dependence upon Him Who rules the universe and all it holds.
Granted, there is something psychological about this
hesitancy to ask God’s favor, but it also indicates a weakness of faith in God’s
presence and power to save. We may be willing to ask other people for their prayers,
but we don’t really expect that God will either answer us or answer the person
we asked to pray in our favor. We are a long way from believing that God hears
and answers His friends the saints, both those in the calendar and saintly,
holy people whom we encounter in life. We have a hard time with the notion that
God works miracles in answer to the prayers of His holy ones, both from heaven
and here on earth. I can remember as an adolescent being embarrassed by the
prayers after Mass for good weather and bountiful crops, thinking it somewhat
useless to bother God with our prayers for sufficient rain and a good harvest.
Typical adolescence, you might say, but it can carry over into adulthood. Try
praying for a sick child or for someone gravely injured in a car accident! Here
too, there seems to be embarrassment about pestering God. People don’t seem to
believe enough or to imagine God as close at hand. And it is of no help at all
when someone shouts at us and shakes a finger, “Oh, ye of little faith!” And
yet, God would have us ask. He would have us insist a bit with Him, press Him,
if you will, just like Abraham.
In the traditional prayer of the Church or in monastic
communities and big convents, there is daily prayed something called the Roman
Martyrology, which has an entry for every day of the year. A big part of the
book obviously are the saints who died as martyrs for the faith and are
commemorated on certain days of the year. In that little book, with its short
paragraph for each day, there are many more saints mentioned than actually have
a proper feast day in the Church calendar. Notably, besides the martyrs there
are also remembered those who were outstanding in holiness, a fact evidenced by
the miracles which accompanied them already in this life, but which have
multiplied since death. The Martyrology is an eloquent witness to all of the
powerful intercessors, friends of God, who have been at work in our world,
healing or simply making things better.
Abraham knew enough not only to pray to God but to insist
with Him. Jesus in the Gospel is absolutely reassuring about how God like a
good father that stands ready and eager to give us all we need in answer to our
prayers.
The other day an old friend told me a family story of his
about a relative, a young expectant mother whose doctor gave her the results of
prenatal tests which showed evidence that the baby was very sick and with
numerous birth defects. Not despairing, the family began praying, asking family
and friends to pray, and on good advice called a rather special priest to come
and pray over the mother and her baby, which he did with great confidence.
Almost immediately the mother started feeling better for the first time during
her pregnancy and when they did her sonagram by her next regular exam, the
doctor found everything to be just fine. When the time came, she gave birth to
a healthy baby boy, who continues to grow and be happy and to bring joy to his
family. I believe the testimony of my old friend.
God does answer prayers. He works wonders. I have seen more
than I can count in my life. “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…”
That does not mean that we should pretend to pray away all
death, suffering and hardship from life. God did not relent on Sodom and
Gomorrah despite Abraham’s prayers. Nonetheless, Abraham engaged God and God
saved Abraham’s nephew.
This Sunday’s message? Very simply, pray! Don’t give up on
God!
Praised be Jesus Christ!
PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI
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