Luke 11: 1-13

When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray.”

So Jesus told them, “Pray in this way: ‘Father, help us to honour your name. Come and set up your kingdom. Give us each day the food we need. Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. And keep us from being tempted.’”

Then Jesus went on to say: Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, “Let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don’t have a thing for him to eat.” And suppose your friend answers, “Don’t bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you something.”

He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.

So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg?

As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.

Gospel Reflection

A few years ago I visited a patient in the nursing home next door to the Church. He had been unconscious for days and his wife wasn’t religious so she sat quietly whilst I prayed. Until, out of the silence, they began to pray together. Our Father…

A few weeks ago I took Communion to a patient that had had an aneurism and whose memory was almost gone. Needlessly, she apologised that she couldn’t remember what she was supposed to do until… Our Father…

Our desire, our simplest desire, that reaches out of the ambition and distraction of life, is to live out the Great Commandments; to divinely love and be loved… and to belong to a family of love, forgiveness and compassion.

So together, we say the only prayer that Jesus teaches us… Our Father…