C: 17th OrdTime (28 July 2019) - GOD LISTENS (Lk 11:1-13)

In the First Reading, upon learning that Sodom and Gomorrah—the city-dwelling of his nephew Lot and his clan—were about to be destroyed, Abraham pleaded before the Lord to stop the impending catastrophe. He wisely quipped as if challenging the Lord, “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it (Gen 18:24)?” Surprisingly, the Lord agreed to the request (v. 26) for, apparently, there were less than fifty good persons there. Abraham continued to haggle with the Lord, down to forty-five, to forty, to thirty, to twenty, and finally to ten. Still, the Lord responded in the affirmative each time (vv. 28-32). Abraham probably became ashamed for negotiating this much with the Lord, and so he stopped and accepted the fate of these cities.

Hypothetically, for the sake of argument, what if Abraham continued bargaining with the Lord, say lowering his number down to five, would the Lord also continued to answer positively to his request? Maybe, yes, for we would read later that there were less than five righteous there: Lot, his wife, and his two daughters (cf. Gen 19:15). Or maybe, no, if we would also count among the virtuous Lot’s two future sons-in-law whom he had invited to escape but did not heed thinking that he was only joking (cf. Gen 19:14). Regardless if it is a yes or a no, the crux of the episode of Abraham’s negotiation with the Lord is not the story’s end result. Rather, it is the reader’s learning that the Lord always listens personally and patiently to our prayers, however trivial, impossible and crazy they may be. Even if the outcome would not match what we were longing for, the important thing to remember is that the Lord is a God who listens to our supplications.

Similarly, our gospel today where Jesus taught his disciples to pray advances the same message. A favorable response to our prayers is only a bonus; what is essential to note is that the Lord knows what is happening in our lives and understands what is troubling our hearts. The context of Jesus’ teaching is in response to his disciples’ request: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1). We should be mindful here that what they asked was not “teach us what to pray” nor “teach us how to pray”. It was not a request for the content nor for a procedure in prayer, rather it is a longing for the right approach in praying: “teach us to pray”. Indeed, in the parallel Matthean account, we can notice that before teaching the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:9-13), Jesus instructed his audience with the following correct attitude: “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites… go into your room and shut the door… Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do… your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6:5-8).

In our Lukan account, Jesus emphasized the same thing as he expounded the Lord’s Prayer with a long exhortation on trusting God (Lk 11:5-12), concluding with: “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (v. 13)!” Realistically, the Lord may not give exactly what we specifically prayed for, but, surely, he will gift us something better: the Holy Spirit which will sanctify each and every one of us, earning us immediate entrance through the door [of heaven] which will be opened for those who trust in him (vv. 9, 10).

Succinctly, what our readings today tell us is to value the fact that we have a God who always listens to us. Such is more than enough for it assures us that he accompanies us in our earthly perilous journey. The Responsorial Psalm summarizes everything appropriately: “On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord” (Psa 137:1-8). May this be our constant disposition, too.

- Rex Fortes, CM