Let us center our reflection upon three letters, “A”, “S”, “K”: Asking, Seeking, and Knocking.

Our readings today teach us wonderful lessons about prayer. They teach us to be bold and confident when we pray, like Abraham and like Jesus Himself.

God has heard complaints about the outrageous sins of the citizens of Sodom. As He and His angelic helpers stand beside Abraham, God confides to Abraham that, in His anger, He plans to destroy the entire city by fire. Abraham, fearful for his nephew Lot and his wife who live there, feels a sense of terror.
Thinking of the innocent residents, he begs God not to carry out His plans. He boldly bargains with God to spare the city if He finds just fifty, or forty-five, or forty people there. He succeeds in getting God to spare the city for even ten innocent people.

Can we follow Abraham’s example in being so bold and confident?

The Gospel is even more encouraging when Jesus invites His followers to use the very words that He Himself uses in the simple address of “Father” to the awesome Creator. He urges us to feel the warmth of the Father’s love and mercy, assuring us that our prayer will be heard according to the Father’s Will!
Thus shall we pray–often, anywhere, anytime–as sons and daughters of a God who really listens.

Let us center our reflection upon three letters, “A”, “S”, “K”: Asking, Seeking, and Knocking. The first asking is done by the apostles who would like Jesus to teach them to pray as John was teaching his followers. So Jesus gives them a five-part prayer in which there is imbedded some forms of asking. They and we are taught to acknowledge the holiness of God and then request something called “daily bread”. Now what do you believe he meant by that? Then we are to ask for our being forgiving and then freedom from the “final test” which, like any final exam, might make us worried.

Other than the opening recognition of God’s holiness, the whole prayer seems pretty centered on personal greed, self-centered peacefulness and life-long security. Jesus explains how we should keep asking, seeking, and knocking and we will eventually receive, find, and have doors of God and life opened.

The last verse is mysterious, yet so important to our understanding of this asking prayer. For all that we request, what we will receive, find, and have revealed to us is the result of the Holy Spirit’s working out our salvation history. What exactly are we going to receive? What will we find? What is inside the doors which will be opened to our knocking?