Walking with Jesus: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, July 27, 2025

Genesis 18:20-32, Colossians 2:12-14, Luke 11:1-13


I remember that as a youngster I would go to my mom first to ask for a favor or for something I “needed” (or thought I did) … or to go someplace with my friends or take an overnight. If Mom didn’t like it, I got a NO and I thought I was sunk. Most of the time she would say, “Go ask your father.” I would try to find out from my siblings, “Is this a good time to talk to Dad?” Dad never gave approval right off the bat; we had to talk about it. Would I be missing my regular chores? How were my grades? If it was summer, was I keeping up with my scheduled summer reading? Sometimes I had to do some bargaining ... sometimes he did the bargaining. Do I sometimes bring that same bargaining to God? I did way back when but now, sometimes, it just is “one and out.” Well, why?

Bold Bargaining is today’s focus in the readings. The Old Testament looks in affirmation on people who take time and “argue” or “bargain” with God. They do not feel that this will get them in trouble. Would I if I did that? If so, am I afraid of God or shaky in my relationship with God? Our Old Testament faith ancestors felt that ”bargaining” was a sign of deep faith and a deeply personal relationship with God. It leads to a ”regular” conversation with my loving God when I need to or want to or just to talk in thanksgiving. Am I grateful for my God who loves me just the way I am at each moment of my life?

Bottom Line: As children we learned there are different kinds of prayer — praise, sorrow, thanksgiving, petition. All of these recognize two fundamental realities: We are a dependent, needy people and our needs can really only be adequately met by our loving God.

JESUS instructs us to ask for what we need, to seek what we desire, to knock on the door behind which we hope to find our fulfillment. He says if we ask we will receive what we request — the door will be opened and we will find what we seek. So the bottom line is that God is more than willing to give us what we need, but we have to turn to God and humbly acknowledge our need and our love. What holds us back? It’s always Satan or ourselves, placing the fear element in our lives projecting that we are just not loved. Not true in God’s eyes!

In last week’s reading we witnessed two angels who came to see Abraham and, after a meal of hospitality, left to investigate Sodom and Gomorrah while God stayed and listened to Abraham’s questions. We heard God’s total willingness (note my bold emphasis) to hear human prayer requests  and act on them, even changing an intended course of action. It’s so interesting to see Abraham repeating the same request over and over, just changing the number of virtuous people. This emphasizes that God is so much more inclined to mercy and love.

Paul picks up on this point. The Christians at Colossae are being subjected to false teaching. It is clear  that Christ’s death and burial are historical … the death of the Christians in baptism is death by identification. So the revelation is that it is not the ritual of baptism itself that saves, but rather the faith in Christ present in the Christians undergoing this ritual. The Christian has been raised with Christ to new life which brings a new standard of living — Jesus’ law of love, dying to myself and living love. Am I doing this, adopting God’s love and not what I want?

There are two Our Fathers, one from Matthew 6:9-13 with the traditional words we learned in our youth, and another today from Luke. Both begin addressing petitions to God as “Father.” This intimacy is never used by an individual speaking to God. BUT Jesus encourages us to take His own personal attitude toward the Father. Luke gives five petitions:

1. “Hallowed be Your name,” asking God Himself to be free from blame in our world and proclaimed as holy;
2. “Your Kingdom come,” asking that God’s kingdom on earth be brought to its full realization — strongly implying that we — all of us — have a part in furthering God’s work; 
3. “Give us each day our daily bread,” asking for material bread or food one day at a time for each person (not the Eucharist);
4. “Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,” not that our own forgiveness is a condition for God’s forgiveness, but rather that God’s forgiveness cannot be expected if we withhold human forgiveness when we are asked; and
5. “Do not subject us to the final test.” Jesus is correcting an early belief that teaches evil is not sent by God as a punishment for sin — so we are asking God to give us His grace, that we may resist all temptation.

When we pray this prayer, do we pray as strongly as Jesus asked?

So I reflect on:

• Our prayer is always directed toward God, as we see in the Our Father. Even if we pray to Mary or one of the saints, we are still being present to God because these others only act as intermediaries for us before God.
• Abraham asks for mercy for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the man in the gospel asks for bread for his friend. Generosity of heart is a second characteristic of prayer.

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“It has been said that what grows slowly endures. At our baptism the life of grace began and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in our souls. Like the tiny mustard seed, this life of grace grows through faithful nurturing and nourishment from prayer and the sacraments. The kingdom of God is within us on our spiritual journey through life. Let us ask the holy Spirit to guide us, and ask that Jesus be our friend and life companion.”