DAILY HOMILIES #ask

Like falling in love, the beginning is usually very sweet; you think about the person all day, and you are ready to do anything for them, but as time passes, familiarity creeps in, the fire goes out. Upon conversion to the faith, the Ephesians must have begun many devout practices pleasing to God, but over time, these practices faded away.

Elisha, like Solomon, was given a blank cheque to ask for anything. He could have asked for riches, long life or the death of his enemies, but he asked for a double share of Elijah’s spirit. When I pray, what do I ask for?

What did Jesus consider when he said we should ask, seek and knock? The answer to this question can be seen in the lines that follow. Jesus said: “If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

To what extent do I desire heaven? Am I prepared to drink the cup? Am I prepared to deny myself, take up my daily crosses and follow the footsteps of Jesus? On the other hand, am I only concerned about my daily bread? Am I only interested in what I can get from Jesus right now? St. James teaches us to make heaven our priority.

Prayer is powerful, but it is not magic. When we pray, we do not exercise power and authority over God; we beg from Him. We may not always get a “yes” from God, but our prayers are never wasted. Jesus heard Bartimaeus calling, but to test him, Jesus continued to walk along. Many told Bartimaeus to keep quiet, but he shouted all the more. He would not allow the crowd to discourage him.

Don’t be too quick to destroy or bring people down simply because you don’t agree with them. Ask yourself, “what if I am wrong?” The truth is that you cannot always be right. There is always going to be something you can learn from those who hold different opinions with you. The key thing is humility.

Believe that you will get what you ask for even before you start praying. Jesus draws an analogy with a child asking his father for bread or fish saying that if we who are evil can be trusted to give our children what they ask for, how much more, God. To remind us that God is really a Father, Jesus taught us to begin our prayer with “Our Father who art in heaven.”

We ask from God because we are his children and by asking from Him, we also declare to live according to His instructions. Sin destroys our relationship with God. When we pray, we should have full confidence in God. At the same time, our prayer must affect the kind of life we live. If we beg from God, we must not forget there are others begging from us; others who need our charity; others who need our forgiveness; others who need us to intercede for them like Abraham did for Sodom and Gomorrah.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).