The gospel for Thursday of the 27th week in Ordinary Time is taken from Luke, 11th verse. 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 lows 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? Jesus first makes his disciples aware that when we need something, really want something, persistence will often produce it. But what he’s really wanting us to realize is that when we pray to God and ask him to give what we need so that we can grow and become and change, we need to be persistent in seeking and knowing and learning what the answer is. Seek and you will find. Ask and you will receive.

Knock and the door will be opened. That’s a process that one consistently goes through, so that when we ask for something from God, we don’t give up when it’s not there immediately, when the response isn’t quick. It’s not that we are testing his desire, but he’s testing our work at finding and seeking and knowing the answer. Take a few moments to reflect upon these thoughts, and then I will close with a prayer. Sa foreign closing prayer. Father, bless us with an eagerness, a longing, a persistence of knowing your will for us, knowing what answers you long to share with us when we don’t know the answer.

Bless us with perseverance and we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.