By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. (Genesis 18.20-32, Colossians 2.12-14, Luke 11.1-13)
THE ONE WHO ASKS ALWAYS RECEIVES; THE ONE WHO SEARCHES ALWAYS FINDS.
The readings present us with an understanding of the nature of God that invites us to a closer relationship with him. He is a loving father who longs to be close to his children. Against the stifling idea of God that sits somewhere watching to see when someone has sinned so as to visit the person with punishment, the readings present a listening, caring, and tolerant father willing to change his mind, if need be, for the interest and the good of his children.
The first reading presents the meeting between God and Abraham in such an interesting manner that one might be led to ask where Abraham got the audacity to seek to change the plans of God. One would have thought that if God makes up His mind, no one would be able to make Him change. Afterall, he is God, He must have known everything and what do we have to offer that would make Him change His mind? The Prophet Isaiah asked, ‘who directed the spirit of God, what counsellor could have instructed Him, whom has He consulted to enlighten Him, to instruct Him in the path of judgement…? (Isaiah 40.12-15)’ With this idea in mind, we could feel that we do not have to offer God any suggestion or even beg Him to change things in our favour. Yet, we see Abraham doing exactly the same. God even agreed to Abraham’s intervention, at least he never felt that Abraham was insulting Him by trying to make Him change His mind.
It is not just in this instance that we have seen this side of God, when God wanted to destroy the people of Israel out of anger, Moses stood in the gap and even asked God to remove his name from the book of life instead of doing what he threatened (Exodus 32.8-14). Of course we all know the story of the Ninevites and how God relented from destroying them after they repented. Jonah himself knew that God might change his mind and was not prepared to warn the people. He actually wanted God to unleash His anger on the people and that was why he wanted to flee from the request to go and preach to the Ninevites (Jonah 4.1-3). The Ninevites prayed and fasted in order to make God change His mind and it worked (Jonah 3.8-10). Even God Himself often wanted people to stand in the gap between and people in order to save them from God’s wrath (Ezekiel 22.28-31).
What does this say to us about human relationships? Jesus asked, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” (Luke 11:11). Where does the interest lie? Is it just what I want or what is good for the other? If the interest of the other is central, it will not be very difficult to make adjustments.
This standing in the gap is what Jesus did when He gave up His life on the Cross, He paid the ultimate price. He reconciled all things with God. He made away with the enmity and cancelled the debts. We hear this clearly in the second reading and also in many other writings of St. Paul. The second reading puts it this way; ‘he has forgiven us all our sins, he has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it on the cross.’ This is why the major task of Christianity is proclaiming what God has done because what God has done and is still doing is far more important than what we are doing and can even do. Religion is human participation in the Divine project. God wants us to become participant in this project, Jesus makes us agents of reconciliation which He initiated by his death on the Cross, it is all God’s work (2 Corinthians 5.18-21).
We can now understand why Jesus gave us the boldness to ask, seek and knock without being afraid of being rejected. This is because he has removed every obstacle that made us strangers to God. He had done away with the fear, the barrier, the tension, the uncertainty and enmity between us and God. He gave us the boldness to call God ‘Father’. This calling God ‘Father’ is not just mere words but a reality which comes with every right a child has. Children never get tired of making requests from their parents. While a child might feel reluctant to ask something from an outsider or a stranger, he or she can always make requests from the father and mother. As a matter of fact, if your children are afraid of asking you something as a parent, then something is very wrong somewhere. It is that confidence and trust to turn to you as the parent especially when any other source of help has failed them that makes you truly a parent.
Jesus even added something more in this attitude of trust in God’s providence. He teaches us not just to ask, seek and search, he equally encourages us to be persistent. This means that we should not relent when it seems our prayers are not being answered, we should add the character of persistence to our prayer. We see this same teaching in the writings of St. Paul who asked us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5.17, Colossians 4.12). One thing about persistence is that it helps us actually know how important what we are seeking for is. If what we are asking is not so important, we might not find it necessary to persist. However, if we are seeking for something very important, we can stay awake all night, we can go the extra mile to get. We can equally see that Jesus acknowledges the power of persistence in seeking. He often stayed in prayer all the night (Luke 6.12), he equally praised the Syrophoenician woman for her persistence (Luke 18.1-8), on the night before he was betrayed, he prayed in agony and even sweated blood (Luke 22.44). we were equally told though he was a son, he offered prayer constantly with loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5.7-8).
Prayer is a relationship and our way of praying depends on how we understand our relationship with God. Jesus whose death has reconciled us to the Father is reminding us in a powerful way that we should pray with confidence, faith and trust. We should approach the throne of mercy with confidence. We should not pay attention to the voice of the accuser who accuses us day and night before God. This accuser has been thrown down with his accusations (Revelation 12.10). We should rather be mindful of the new position and status that Jesus has given to us (1 John 3.1-3). Our prayer life should bear witness to the fact that we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of the Most High, if not, then it means that Jesus died for nothing. When the veil of the temple tore into two, it was to demonstrate that the barrier caused by sin has been broken.
With this attitude in mind, let us renew our relationship with God. Let us renew our perception about God Who is a Friend and a Father. Let us embrace the status given to us out of love. Let us remove all the doubts and negativity that distort the true image of God in us. Let us above all call on the Holy Spirit of God Who refines us and teaches us in the depths of our beings. May the Holy Spirit lead us to the truth, pray in us and with us, may He give us the ability to grow daily in fruitful and effective prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.