Today's Gospel
Matthew 7:7- 12
Jesus said to His disciples: Ask and it will be given to you;
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.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets."
Matthew 7:7- 12
Jesus said to His disciples: Ask and it will be given to you;
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.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets."
Reflection
In today's Gospel, Jesus encourages us to put our faith into action, to be pro-active and pursue our Heavenly Father by truly living our Faith. We cannot just sit, wait and expect all things to fall into our lap. Our God is generous but He has given us our intellect and free will so that we may actively participate in our relationship with Him.
As humans, we are pretty good at asking for things. We are taught from an early age to pursue what we want, and if we work hard enough, we will obtain it. We ask, seek, and knock, but for most of us, we do these things with an already formed expectation of what we will receive. We know what we want and we expect to get what we want. This is a dangerous way to approach God. Our God who knows us better than we know ourselves, our Heavenly Father who will "give good things to those who ask Him", may not give us what we are expecting. Lent is an opportunity to change our relationship with God and review how we are approaching Him. What are we asking of Him? Why are we knocking on the door and what are we expecting to receive?
There is nothing wrong with praying to God and asking for both material and spiritual gifts from Him. However, we must humble ourselves and recognize that not everything we want is actually what is best for us. We are being formed into disciples of Christ and it is not for us to choose how that is done. Humbly we recognize that we are not the ones in charge. We cannot be closed in by our own expectations but must be open to the great wisdom of God. Today, take 10 minutes to write a prayer to God expressing to Him your desire to trust His wisdom and His will and your willingness to humbly accept the good things that He chooses to give you.
In today's Gospel, Jesus encourages us to put our faith into action, to be pro-active and pursue our Heavenly Father by truly living our Faith. We cannot just sit, wait and expect all things to fall into our lap. Our God is generous but He has given us our intellect and free will so that we may actively participate in our relationship with Him.
As humans, we are pretty good at asking for things. We are taught from an early age to pursue what we want, and if we work hard enough, we will obtain it. We ask, seek, and knock, but for most of us, we do these things with an already formed expectation of what we will receive. We know what we want and we expect to get what we want. This is a dangerous way to approach God. Our God who knows us better than we know ourselves, our Heavenly Father who will "give good things to those who ask Him", may not give us what we are expecting. Lent is an opportunity to change our relationship with God and review how we are approaching Him. What are we asking of Him? Why are we knocking on the door and what are we expecting to receive?
There is nothing wrong with praying to God and asking for both material and spiritual gifts from Him. However, we must humble ourselves and recognize that not everything we want is actually what is best for us. We are being formed into disciples of Christ and it is not for us to choose how that is done. Humbly we recognize that we are not the ones in charge. We cannot be closed in by our own expectations but must be open to the great wisdom of God. Today, take 10 minutes to write a prayer to God expressing to Him your desire to trust His wisdom and His will and your willingness to humbly accept the good things that He chooses to give you.
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