Twenty-Seventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

Once again Jesus reminds us that persistence pays off and as long as we persist in seeking God’s Will and being good and faithful servants, then we will eventually succeed in doing both. It might not be easy, in fact, it will probably require a lot of work and worry, but the pay off in the end will be worth all the time, effort, and suffering to reach these goals. We must constantly pray to God for the graces we need to do penance, sin no more, avoid those things that lead us into temptation, and to do the right thing. God will give us what we need. We have only to ask for it repeatedly, accept it when it comes, and put it to good use.

Are we persistent in our prayers of petition and penance? Do we constantly seek God’s Will in our lives? Are we willing to accept the trials and tribulations that come with doing the good and right thing?

O Lord, give us the courage to persist in our faith and always seek your will.

Amen.