Probably you are puzzled by this question. Good if you are. Then you will read today’s Gospel (Luke 11:5-13) passage and reflect with me about what Jesus is telling us.
Quite often, I read explanations of today’s parable about the friend knocking at midnight; I even heard (and delivered) homilies about it, but when I started writing this reflection something struck me. Most explanations say that perseverance in prayer is what Jesus stresses. Maybe they are right. But the second part of Jesus’ words, His application, does not focus on perseverance but on something else. Actually, Jesus gives His audience — and us — a lesson that focuses on the assurance that God will hear our prayers, whether we are persistent or not.
You may say that from experience, God did not always give you what you asked for. I think there are two hints in the words of Jesus that answer disappointing experiences in prayer.
The first is, Jesus says that a father gives always what is good for His children. How do we know that what we are praying for is really good for us or for the person we are praying for? We think it is good, but God looks beyond our limited knowledge; He looks into the future and knows whether it is beneficial to grant or not.
Another point Jesus indicates is that we might not ask enough from God. Sounds strange but that’s what Jesus indicates. While human fathers want to give what is good for their children, the heavenly Father wants to give the Holy Spirit; He wants to give Himself!
A friend of mine texted me several months ago the striking sentence, “You will never ask God the hundredth part of what He wants to give you.”
This statement underlines beautifully what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel passage. Jesus wants us to realize that His Father loves incredibly because He is Love, and that we are His beloved children for whom He is ready to give and give and give — if only we ask for it.
