Ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives.... – Matthew 7:7-8
ASK (SPECIFICALLY!) AND RECEIVE
I
believe in the principle of “ask and you shall receive.” When I was
single, I said I wanted to get married. Sure enough, God gave me a
boyfriend, who became my husband. A year into marriage, I said I wanted a
baby so my husband prayed for a son. Now we have a very good-looking
boy! We asked for a car after that, and when our kid was around two
years old, we got our first car through very friendly payment terms.
I’m grateful for these answered prayers. What I didn’t think about were
the responsibilities that came with them. In our marriage, my husband
and I have to keep things going, “for better or for worse.” As a mom, I
have to provide constant care and attention to my son. A car has many
demands, too: gas, maintenance, tune-ups, cleaning — the list goes on.
When we ask the Lord for answers to our prayers, we have to be prepared
to take care of the things we will receive or the situations we’ll find
ourselves in. God is good, but He will only give us what is good for
us, what will bring us closer to Him.
Martine De Luna
1ST READING
I
am sure there has been at least one time in our lives when we have been
afraid, for one reason or another, to do what we know we should do in a
particular situation. If so, then we can sympathize with Esther, who
knows she must take her life in her hands and appeal to her husband for
the sake of her people. The stakes are enormous — the welfare of a
nation on one hand and her own life on the other. Let us pray for the
grace to always do what we know to be the right thing.
Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
28 [C:12] Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord. 30 [C:14] She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac,
and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no
help but you, 31 [C:15] for I am taking my life in my hand. 32 [C:16] As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O Lord, always free those who are pleasing to you. 39 [C:23] Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God. And now, come to help me, an orphan. 40 [C:24] Put
in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his
heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league
with him may perish. 41 [C:25] Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.”
P S A L M
Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 7-8
R: Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
1 I
will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard
the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your
praise; 2 I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. (R) Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. 3 When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R) 7 Your right hand saves me. 8 The Lord will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. (R)
GOSPEL
If
at first you do not succeed, try and try again. Perseverance is a great
trait that enables us to follow God’s call in the midst of our
struggles and trials. We can be sure that we will encounter
difficulties. This should not cause us to lose heart but see it as an
opportunity to deepen our trust and faith in God’s promises.
Matthew 7:7-12
7 Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, 10 or a snake when he asks for a fish? 11 If
you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who
ask him. 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets."
REFLECTION
FACT OR FAITH?
The
readings today present a unified theme of prayer. In the First Reading,
Queen Esther prays to God for deliverance against the advancing
enemies. The Responsorial Psalm is a thanksgiving for answered prayers:
“Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” In the Gospel,
Jesus bids us never to tire in beseeching God for our needs. Like any
good father who wishes what is best and truly good for his children, so
is our heavenly Father.
Prayer is not simply an efficacious formula we declare when we want to
and need to. There is a subjective disposition that needs to accompany
such a declaration. Let me clarify.
In the Bible, for example, we hear a declaration of the true identity
of Jesus from a very unlikely source, an unclean spirit: “I know who you
are — the holy One of God!” In response to such a declaration, Jesus
rebuked the evil spirit sharply and commanded, “Be quiet! Come out of
the man!” Jesus obviously was not flattered by the declaration.
In some other parts of the Gospel narratives, Peter also declared in
behalf of the Twelve, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”
(Matthew 16:16). Unlike the case of the man possessed by the unclean
spirit, Jesus welcomed the declaration and commended Peter for it.
Both Peter and the evil spirit made the same declaration. But the same
declaration received a different response from Jesus. What accounts for
the difference? The evil spirit simply made a declaration of fact. Peter
made a declaration of faith, borne out of love.
Every time we go to Church, we profess and declare our faith in the
living God. But we are not simply there to declare a fact. God does not
need to be reminded of the fact of His Divinity. God longs to hear a
declaration of faith and love from His children. When we declare it in
faith, it is not God who benefits. It is then that our prayers receive a
hearing from God. So what will it be for your prayer: a declaration of
fact or faith? Fr. Joel Jason
"Dear
God, grant me the wisdom to ask for the things You’d want for me so
that I may continue to live for You when You answer my prayer."
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