thy will be done?
“So I say to you: ‘Ask and you shall receive.’ ” —Luke 11:9
A good test to determine if we are praying according to God’s will or our own will is this: How do we respond when we don’t receive that for which we asked? If we become angry or upset, it may mean that we are praying for our own will to be done rather than God’s. For example, compare Jonah’s angry reactions with the docile response of Jesus (see Jon 4:1, 8-10; Mt 26:42).
The passage immediately preceding today’s Gospel reading is the Our Father (Lk 11:2-4). As Jesus teaches in the Our Father, we pray for God’s will to be done (Mt 6:10; Lk 11:2). In the verses immediately following the Our Father, He then tells us to ask persistently (Lk 11:8). Jesus says: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened” (Lk 11:9).
Little children do not hesitate to be persistent. It takes time for a little child to mature. A loving parent understands that the child is maturing, and that their requests start out being self-centered. The parent teaches the child how to ask by saying: “Now say Please...”, “Now say Thank You...”. Likewise, our heavenly Father teaches us over time how to pray and ask in faith, with persistence, and according to His will. Therefore, pray without ceasing (Lk 18:1) and persist in your prayer (Lk 11:8).
Prayer: Father, may I never grow weary of believing that You love everything about me. I trust that You are a loving, providing Father.
Promise: “For you who fear My name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” —Mal 3:20
Praise: Pope St. Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in thanksgiving for Mary’s answer to the many rosaries prayed for the victory of the Christian fleet over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.) (For a related teaching on Seek First the Kingdom, order, view or download our leaflet on our website.)
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