February 18, 2016 Thursday, 1st Week of Lent 1st Reading: Esther C:12, 14–16, 23–25 Gospel: Mt. 7:7–12
Jesus said to his disciples, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks. Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! “So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there you have the Law and the Prophets.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Jesus compared the Father’s graciousness to the love of parents for their children. He said, “As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children; how much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” God’s love is far greater than parental love. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!
God is good all the time, but he gives equitably. By equitable distribution we mean that God allocates his graces according to one’s need for spiritual growth. Where he sees some possibilities that the material things prayed for hamper spiritual growth, God becomes a reluctant giver. “Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish?” Jesus said.
So we must respect God’s disposition. Our prayer should always end with “not my will but yours be done” as Jesus prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane. Some people take God as hostage by claiming in advance what they pray for. This practice is good only when it induces faith. But if it holds God hostage, obliging Him to bow to our desires, it is really an arrogant form of prayer. While it is never wrong to presume that all prayers are heard, it is a big mistake to bind God to our prayers. What if in the assessment of God he finds out that what we are asking for will ultimately endanger our souls?
Anticipating the positive answer to our prayers leaves little freedom for God to provide us with what redounds to our spiritual growth. This is double whammy for God since he will appear bad in two ways. When he will not answer because he sees problems ahead, he will appear bad to us. When he answers despite the looming problem simply because of our insistence he will appear bad to us in the future. God is good, but we must allow him to be good all the time.—Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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