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Dear brothers and sisters,

 

I remember those Bible stories I was told as a child, from which I learned to draw lessons for life. Even before I knew how to read, I became familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers, of Moses being saved from the waters, and of that king named Solomon who, given the opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted, chose only the gift of wisdom.

 

Perhaps Solomon knew how to ask for what he needed because he had learned to look at himself and others. It's not easy to ask for what's best for us because our prayers of petition can often be distorted by the environment around us. We focus so much on ourselves that we tend to always see reality from the perspective of what happens to us and what we need.

 

We seek so much efficiency and immediate achievement that we demand things for the here and now, forgetting that life involves processes. We run the risk of turning prayer of petition into a list of demands on God or a magic formula that ends up disappointing us by causing the disappointment of not seeing our expectations met.

 

This is not the prayer Jesus invites us to today on this Sunday. Our petition is a consequence of the trust that springs from affection. It is a dialogue with a God who relates to us like a good father; it is the fruit of a personal encounter with someone we know loves us and will always be at our side. Jesus invites us to pray so that we never feel alone, so that we never lose hope, so that we always know that we are loved by God, even if the things we would like don't happen automatically.

 

Many things may come to mind that we would like to happen. Like Solomon, let us consider what we truly need to ask of God at this moment in our lives. Ask, seek, knock... so that we may never cease to experience the closeness of God and the power of his Spirit. He himself is the gift that Jesus offers us.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

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