The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to persevere in accepting the guidance of the Holy Spirit as a gift in response to our prayers.
Spirit as guide
In the reading from the Letter to the Galatians, Paul examines Law and Faith as he builds the case for Justification by Faith.
* [3:3] On the contrast of Spirit and flesh, cf. Rom 8:1–11. Having received the Spirit, they need not be circumcised now.1
The Canticle of Zechariah is the response for today.
* [1:68–79] Like the canticle of Mary (Lk 1:46–55) the canticle of Zechariah is only loosely connected with its context. Apart from Lk 1:76–77, the hymn in speaking of a horn for our salvation (Lk 1:69) and the daybreak from on high (Lk 1:78) applies more closely to Jesus and his work than to John. Again like Mary’s canticle, it is largely composed of phrases taken from the Greek Old Testament and may have been a Jewish Christian hymn of praise that Luke adapted to fit the present context by inserting Lk 1:76–77 to give Zechariah’s reply to the question asked in Lk 1:66.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus urges our perseverance in Prayer.
* [11:13] The holy Spirit: this is a Lucan editorial alteration of a traditional saying of Jesus (see Mt 7:11). Luke presents the gift of the holy Spirit as the response of the Father to the prayer of the Christian disciple.3
Steve Scholer asks “Was Jesus telling the disciples that their work would not be easy but if they “persisted” they would prevail?”
As we focus upon the Gospel, we need to remember that despite our slips, stumbles or falls, we need to “persist” in practicing our faith and living it in our thoughts, words and deeds. Let’s pause and reflect upon how we interact with others, be it family, co-workers, neighbors or complete strangers, and think about the love we show them. Is it Christ like, full of compassion, understanding and a willingness to help? This may be the best indicator of just how deeply Christ is part of our lives and how “persistent” we are. Hopefully, when living our faith, we are “relentless” and have “dogged determination” to be true to our faith. For in today’s world, that might be as hard as finding a loaf of bread at midnight in Jesus’ world.4
Don Schwager quotes “Ask by praying, seek by proper living, knock by persevering,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Desiring that we arrive at the joys of the heavenly kingdom, our Lord and Savior taught us to ask these joys of him and promised that he would give them to us if we asked for them. 'Ask,' he said, 'and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.' Dearly beloved..., we earnestly and with our whole heart must ponder these words of our Lord. He bears witness that the kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its gates. The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying. It must be sought after by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.51.20)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:5-13 asks “What if, instead of thinking about fighting a battle, we chose to surrender instead?” Not in the sense of giving in to whatever is disturbing us, but in the sense of surrendering ourselves to God? This requires a different, less self-focused type of perseverance: the determination to control our anxious thoughts, to stop spinning our wheels unnecessarily, and to persist in trusting in God’s help and guidance.
What does this kind of surrender look like? Actually, it’s quite active. It means being aware of our thoughts—especially our fears—and giving them to the Lord. It means asking him to help us decide what we should do and what we should release into his care. It means giving all our worries to him each night and trusting that he’ll be with us as we sleep. Surrendering to God isn’t always easy. It can be hard to give up the illusion that we are in total control. But God is our Father. He loves us and will never abandon us. “Lord, help me to surrender my independence. I trust in you.”6
Friar Jude Winkler puts the angry words of Paul in the context of correction by a loving parent. Faith is the act of trust that allows us to accept the mercy of God. Friar Jude reminds us that we receive the most loving answer possible as God shares the Love of the Trinity with us.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Francis and Clare created a life in which they had little to lose, no desire for gain, no loans or debts to pay off, and no luxuries that they needed or wanted.
When we agree to live simply, we no longer consider immigrants, refugees, people in poverty, or anyone else on the margins of society as a threat. When we choose to relinquish our privileges, whatever they are, we have freely and consciously chosen to become “visitors and pilgrims” in this world, as Francis puts it (quoting 1 Peter 2:11). A simple lifestyle is quite simply an act of solidarity with the way most people have had to live since the beginnings of humanity. When we agree to live simply, we have time for spiritual and corporal works of mercy, like prayer, service, and justice work, because we have renegotiated in our minds and hearts our understanding of time and its purposes. Time is not money anymore, despite the common aphorism! Time is life itself and we want to give our lives away freely as Jesus, Francis, and Clare did.7
Surrender to the simple life opens us to see, hear, and act for the good of those we encounter on our journey.
References
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