First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
Reflection:
The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were a very immoral people. Their sins were so great that God intended to destroy them. While this may seem harsh, it was completely in line with justice. As Scripture teaches, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Ultimately, that death is spiritual, meaning that eternal separation from God in hell is the due consequence for sin. But in the Old Testament times, there was not a developed understanding of eternity (that came later through Jesus). That said, the belief was that ultimate justice must be served in this lifetime. Thus, it was just for God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins. Yet, God is also merciful and Abraham revealed God’s mercy through his persistent petitioning of the Lord on behalf of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. This dialogue between God and Abraham should not lead us to believe Abraham changed God’s mind (or that we can do that). God is unchangeable and knows all things. While Abraham’s petitioning didn’t change God’s mind, it revealed God’s mercy. It also must have changed Abraham. In fact, that is what prayer is about—not changing God’s mind, but changing us to conform us to the will of God.
Second Reading: Colossians 2:12-14
Reflection:
As mentioned above, “The wages of sin is death.” But that’s only half the story, for the verse continues, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Jesus came, died, and rose in order to save us from the consequences of our sins and give us new life. This Sunday’s second reading tells us how we can receive that gift. We come into this world “dead in transgressions,” for we inherit original sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve. Without Christ, we would remain in that state of spiritual deadness. But, in baptism and through faith, we can be brought to new life. In baptism, we are washed clean of our sins and given the gift of faith. The debt we owe to God is obliterated and removed from us and given to Jesus who paid that debt on the cross. One way of putting it is, “He came to pay a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.” As a result, our sins can be nailed to the cross and taken to the grave so we can be set free from the death we deserve and find resurrected life in Christ.
Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13
Reflection:
In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus teaches his disciples (including us!) how to pray. Luke’s gospel provides a shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer than Matthew’s gospel, from which we get the form we know. Each form has the same basic structure though. The Lord’s Prayer begins by focusing on God, His nature, and His work in the world. This teaches us that our prayers should focus first on God, through praising and thanking Him. Only then, do we turn to our requests. “Give us each day our daily bread” is a petition for God to provide for us both materially (e.g. food, shelter, clothing, etc.) and spiritually (e.g. the nourishment for our souls we receive from the bread of life, the Eucharist). God wants to provide for our needs. We can have assurance that when we ask, He will answer. Even if we don’t get what we want, the answer will be better than what we asked for, because God is a good and perfect gift giver. In fact, the ultimate and best gift He gives us is Himself, for we hear that the Father will “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Therefore, we should persist in petitioning God (like Abraham did). And we should strive to conform our requests to the will of God. Finally, our prayers should include confessing our sins to the Lord and asking for forgiveness. If we have committed a serious, mortal sin we need to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation too. But daily prayer should include acknowledging our sins and asking for forgiveness, along with seeking to forgive those who have sinned against us.
Application:
- Do you approach prayer more as a means to change God’s mind and convince Him to give you what you want, or a means to change yourself and conform your will to the will of God?
- Does your prayer life include praising God for who He is and thanking God for what He has done for you (most especially, offering you salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus)?
- Do you trust God to answer your prayers in the best way possible (even if it is not what you ask for)?
