First Reading Genesis 18: 20 - 32
20 Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor'rah is great and their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know."
22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
23 Then Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27 Abraham answered, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
29 Again he spoke to him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."
30 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."
31 He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it."
32 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."
Second Reading Colossians 2: 12 - 14
12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Gospel Reading Luke 11: 1 - 13
1 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread;
4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."
5 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
7 and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'?
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Commentary
In the first reading we see a friend servant who is in business of knowing how good his god is. We see a very patient God. It is so tempting for many of us to be annoyed if somebody continued asking and asking. I grow impatient when I experience this kind. God is very patient with Abraham. Furthermore, we see a God who is patient with stubborn people like those in Sodom and Gomorrah.
God is exhibiting how merciful he is for Abraham. When there is hope God is confident. 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, and 10 are numbers indexical that there is hope. When there are still people people who clings to the truth and to God, there there is hope.
The second reading expounds on the realization of this hope. When Jesus Christ died and rise again for all believers as sign of God's mercy. The Old Testament story is only an analogue to the more grand act of God fulfilled in the New Testament. God is so willing to spare a city the sake of the 10 righteous individuals. the real story is that god is willing to spare the whole of mankind from destruction for the sake of His Son who became man himself.
The first reading is about Abraham's prayer of intercession. The second reading is about the incarnation of what all men of good will prayed for. The Gospel Reading is still about Prayer. More than anything else, it is in prayer that we learn most of God. It is in prayer that Abraham learned of God's mercy, patience, and love. That disciple is very correct when he asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Automatically, Jesus taught them a prayer which they say is the Lord's Prayer but it is simply not. The Lord's Prayer is the one in John Chapter 17. This prayer that Jesus taught the disciples is to be called properly as teh Disciple's Prayer. Precisely because it is the prayer to be prayed by a disciple. What elements of prayer can we learn from this prayer?
Address; Jesus said "When you pray, say 'Father..." It is important to address God properly and say who He is. Father, makes us a family to god and not enemy. I use to start my prayer with "Heavenly Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" because that is how He introduce himself to Moses. There are other titles I use to call God when I start a prayer
- Divine Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth
- God Our Father, King of Heaven, Ruler of the World
- Most Loving Father, Creator of the Universe
- Almighty God, One Living and True Father
Adoration; It is very important that we worship, revere and exalt the Lord in beginning our prayer. Jesus included the phrase "...hallowed be thy name."
I use to say "be exalted God" or "let all heavenly creature bend their knees before you. All living and non living things sing praise to you. My heart and soul adores you Oh God."
Offering; Jesus went on and included "...Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It is like saying "Lord I offer myself for your works so I can expand your kingdom. I offer myself to you as a living sacrifice for your works and ministry." A disciple shall not forget to tell God that he is willing to offer everything for the propagation of godly activities. Every morning I include this in my prayer "...Lord I offer you through the Heart of Mary, and in union with Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice my prayers, actions, joys, and sufferings of this day so that all men be saved and be lead to heaven."
Thanksgiving; It is important to thank God for saving you and allotting a place for you in heaven. I thank him for daily blessings that I receive.
Supplication; Let's not forget that our God is a God of Providence. Ask for today and you will receive today's blessings. God's blessings are new every day new every morning. Do not ask for tomorrows goods when all Jesus saying is "Give us today our daily bread." Look He did not say weekly or yearly bread. He said daily.
Contrition; Asking God's forgiveness is another main element of prayer. No one is sinless. We have to pray for God's forgiveness but Jesus added that we too must forgive our neighbors. It is not valid to ask god's forgiveness if you are not willing to give it away.
Resolution; A promise not to commit the same sin again must follow after the penitential prayer. There is no use asking God's forgiveness without willingness to reform your life.
Deliverance; Lastly Jesus wants us to pray so we can resist the temptations that may come along and keep ourselves pure in the sight of the Lord. "...do not bring us to the test but deliver us form evil." Before I start my day, I ask God to give me self control and discipline. Bless me that I may be far from any danger that can harm me and my loved ones.
Application
The readings of this Sunday teaches us that our God is weak when we pray. We also have to make prayers audible and often so God may be moved by it. persistence is a virtue in prayer. We see Abraham persistently asking God and interceding for the people. We hear of Jesus telling us about the persistent man asking his friend at night. He will get what he wants because of his persistence. It is true in prayer and in daily life.
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