"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."
Prayer is a great mystery. It is also a gift. The Gospel from Luke this week challenges us to be persistent in our prayer and to keep asking God for what we need. The Catechism on the Catholic Church says, "We ought always to pray and not to lose heart."
Yet fear steps in. I am often afraid to ask God for anything. I'm afraid of being demanding and treating God like Santa Claus. I'm afraid of being too specific because if I don't receive what I ask for I fear my faith will crumble. It is much safer for me to keep God at a distance. "He's busy. Why would he care about me and my little life?" I say to myself.
But for some reason my heart won't give up. It cries out in spite of my fears because deep down, the Holy Spirit that has been poured into my heart, knows that God is good. That He wants what is best for me. The depths of my heart know that I am loved by a loving Father.
It is this gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts that enables us to pray and to be persistent in our prayer. God loves us. There is nothing to fear. "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 loves us. Don't be afraid to ask.
Peace,
Lincoln
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