Gospel Reflection on Luke 11:1-13

July 27, 2025

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 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!”

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I think I encourage people at times to give voice to their frustrations. If they're angry, let those emotions out. In fact, I I think I've been told that I told people it's not good to keep the anger inside, those difficult feelings inside. We should let them out. As it turns out, that may not be very good advice.

When we give voice to our anger, our feelings should be incurred and being treated unfairly. When we vent our frustrations, we give these emotions power over our lives, and we reinforce the idea that our emotions control us, that other people are responsible for our unhappiness, that it is up to someone else to fix my life. And when we give vent to these negative emotions, we often trigger the same negative emotions in those around us. We invite them to vent, and together, we reinforce the idea that someone is to blame for my happiness, that I am helpless, that the fate is stacked against me, that I've been wrong, that I live in a world that is against me. And over time, I think we can begin to expect negative things, to view people with suspicion and distress.

And all of that is reinforced by speaking those negative feelings, emotions, thoughts out loud. Now with that history in the back of your mind, listen to Jesus' advice. When you pray, when you give voice to who you are, say these words out loud:

Father, creator, your truth lives in me.

You are the ground on which I walk, the air I breathe.

You are the source of my life. Help me to show this truth in my words and actions.

Help me to live only for today, not to worry about tomorrow or to regret the past.

I know that tomorrow is in your hands, and I am not worried about it.

Help me to develop a merciful heart and be grateful for the kindness and mercy I have received.

May I become more and more aware of the power of your life in me.

Do not let me give into emotions and actions that will pull me down and pull down those around me.

These are two contradictory visions of the world. It's striking that Jesus said 'Speak these words. Don't read them or think them.'

He suggests we need to hear ourselves say these words. Which of them is true? Do my emotions control me? Are other people supposed to fix my life? Is the world against me?

Is this the message we're venting into the world and into our own ears? Or am I being held by a loving God who is the source of life and who is guiding creation towards its completion? And am I speaking this message to the world and to myself?

We are going to witness to one of these messages. The question is, which one?