Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Galatians 3:1-5
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
Alleluia: Acts 16:14b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, 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.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
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?”
Meditation
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ abound in each of our lives. This morning, the Lord invites us not to hesitate to ask Him for what we need and to present our needs before Him, because He, who is a Father to us, will always give us what is good for us.
Telling God About Our Needs
Prayer is a means of communicating with God, a way of entering into His presence, but also of presenting our needs and requests to Him. Therefore, we should not hesitate to ask or knock at His door. Many people come to God but are not always honest with Him. They pray for many things while avoiding their real needs. They are afraid of God’s reaction or think their request is inappropriate. No! We must approach God with confidence and sincerely open our hearts to Him.
God Is a Good Father
This trust requires us to know that God is a good Father who will not give us poison instead of fish. But it also means understanding that He will not give us something harmful simply because we ask for it, believing that it is good for us. God knows better than we do how to meet our needs, and He does so at the right time. We are often disappointed because He did not give us what we wanted. But let us think about this: if your child asked you for a snake, would you give it to him when you know that it is dangerous? No! You would rather let him cry than allow him to hurt himself.
God acts in the same way with us. Likewise, you would not allow your child to touch an electric stove simply because he insists; you know that he is not yet capable of doing so safely. In the same way, some of God’s refusals and some periods of waiting are also manifestations of His love.
The Request to Which God Always Says Yes
God does not simply want to give us blessings; He wants to give us the greatest blessing of all: Himself. What we need most is the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus assures us that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. God does not hesitate to give Himself to us when we desire Him with all our hearts. He knows that without Him, we can do nothing.
Perhaps we ask God for many things: success, healing, a job, solutions to our problems, or the fulfillment of a project. All these requests can be legitimate. But do we know how to ask for God Himself above all? Do we know how to ask Him for His Spirit, so that He may enlighten us, transform us, and guide us? Do we know, therefore, how to ask God for good things? Do we trust Him when He does not answer in the way we would have wished?
Let Us Pray
Lord, grant us the grace to know how to ask and to trust You when we approach You with our supplications. Above all, teach us to desire Your Holy Spirit and to welcome Your will into our lives.
Amen.
Intercession
We pray for fathers: give them the strength and grace to fulfill their responsibilities with love, faithfulness, and dedication.
Mama Mary, pray for us.
Spiritual Exercise
Today, let us simply ask the Lord, with faith and perseverance:
“Father, give me Your Holy Spirit.”
KAMTA Flora (Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ)
