Luke 11: 1-13 (Sunday, July 29, 2007) Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Homily by Rev. Mr. Jerry Showalter

The Gospel just proclaimed presents to us the Lord’s Prayer, and You probably thought something felt or seemed wrong!
Truly, it’s not the “Our Father” we learned as children or that is prayed during Mass. What’s going on?

Biblical scholars tell us St. Luke’s writing of the Lord’s prayer predates Matthew’s which is longer.
St. Luke presents this teaching of Jesus (concerning prayer)
in a shorter version as he writes to those like himself, Gentile converts.
Jewish Converts to Christianity came already accustomed to a tradition of daily prayer.
Gentile converts were not and needed to be encouraged to acquire the habit of regular prayer. Luke therefore also stresses perseverance.
This gospel may also touch our situations as the pressures of daily life challenge our prayer time.

When we look carefully at today’s Gospel reading we see the disciples are not merely asking how to pray. They want to know what should be the content of the prayer a prayer that would identify them as true followers of Jesus.
We know The “Lord’s Prayer” was embraced by the early Christians and soon held a central place in the Church’s life. It was a badge of membership a measure of the true Christian spirit. In constant use in the Church’s life this prayer evolved.
We are more familiar with the form presented in Matthew’s Gospel (6:9-13) Luke’s concise wording however clearly identifies the essentials of the prayer of Jesus.
God is addressed as “FATHER.” (IN A SENSE THIS SAYS IT ALL.)
Jesus came that we might know the mercy and generosity of his Father, the Father who is ready to give us everything good even the Holy Spirit if we only ask.

In making our petitions we are to pray asking that we and those who share this world with us may play our part in the fulfillment of God’s plans.
In the midst of live with its ups and downs we are encouraged to pray for “our daily bread.” We can place all our trust in the Father who watches over us.
We can acknowledge our sinfulness confident that we shall be forgiven because we have learned the Father’s ways and are ready ourselves to forgive.
As for that “final test “ it’s time to practice TRUST. Whatever lies ahead we put ourselves in God’s care.

You also noticed I’m sure today’s reading didn’t end with the “Lord’s Prayer.”
Next comes all this knocking on doors in the middle of the night. The way Jesus encourages perseverance may puzzle us. Clearly he does not mean that the Father has to be sweet-talked or badgered into granting the favors we ask. However if we repeatedly plead for what seems important to us and bring our needs before God in simplicity and faith our relationship with the Father will grow and mature.

Our prayer will certainly be heard (Jn 5:16) tells us We have God’s word for it especially a prayer made “in the name of Jesus” But the fact is although each prayer will be answered they may not be answered in the way we initially desired.
And then Jesus draws a comparison between our willingness (when asked) to give what’s best to our loved ones and the Fathers willingness (when asked) to give his best the gift of the Holy Spirit. St. Luke (in accepting the prayer taught by Jesus) identifies the primary prayer of the Christian needs to be must be FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT to be in their lives. From the things he had and was witnessing St. Luke understood the power and importance of God’s greatest gift. On a daily basis Luke watched how the Holy Spirit lead and aided those working to Christianize the world. He witnessed the Holy Spirit transform gestures and sounds into Jesus’ prophetic deeds and words.

In fact even today our words become Jesus’ words our deeds his deeds WHEN we act and speak through the gift of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is necessary for the Christian to be a complete and competent disciple of Jesus. We know the Holy Spirit is received at Baptism. He is called down on the water to be used. In the Baptismal rite we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit! Do we baptized Christians always live the way of the Spirit? Wouldn’t that be nice however oftentimes the gift of the Holy Spirit is placed on the shelf (as it were) like an unwrapped present.We all need peace in our homes and within ourselves.

Many of us need a return to health for ourselves or for someone in our family. But the greatest need that we have is a universal need the need to justify our existence. We need to have meaning in our lives. We need to live our lives in a way that results in a transformation of the world for the better.

As Christians we are called to change the world by making Christ Real in the world. We through our words and actions CAN transform the world BY being Christ for others.
For that to be possible for that to take place those around us must see must experience a presence of the Lord in US. Isn’t this a wonderful a glorious task to undertake? Doesn’t it offer a heavenly reason or purpose for our existence?
Although we may sometimes question how we can have the arrogance to think that we can be Christ to others We MUST TRUST in the word of God. WE MUST TRUST IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

When we pray for the Holy Spirit we are praying that God will work through us. We are praying that God will give meaning to our lives. No matter how grave our other needs may be nothing is more important than the need to make Jesus present in the world.
“How should we pray, Lord?” Jesus’ was asked.

“How should we pray?” Father, May your name be holy.
May your kingdom come. May we receive what we need. May we be forgiving of others so that we may be forgiven. May we be persistent in expressing our needs. May we be filled with your Holy Spirit so as to make Jesus’ presence in the world visible, visible on a daily basis in and through the things we do.
Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of Your faithful,
And kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Rev. Mr. Jerry Showalter is a permanent deacon at St. Margaret Mary Church, Parkersburg, WV.