The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

And he said to them, "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 the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence."

Being Disciples of Christ requires a great deal of persistence. In order to do God’s Will, we often have to persist through trials and overcome obstacles. Because we forsake the riches of the world in favor of heavenly rewards, we will often find ourselves in need of or depending upon the charity of others. This requires a great deal of humility on our part. It is not easy to ask for help, but God wants us to ask for His help and the help of His children. By doing these things we give God and others an opportunity to express and share their love with us. At the same time, this experience of love multiplies our own acts of charity and mercy. That is the wonderful thing about love. It is the one thing we can give that does not lessen us, but makes us more than we already are. Being persistent in the virtue of love is one of the greatest callings in our lives. We might not always feel like helping out, but our feelings and passions should not rule us. Instead, our minds and wills should hold sway and choose to love in spite of how we might feel. This too is the lesson Jesus is trying to teach us. It is not only the persistence of the asker that we should imitate, but also the willingness to act charitably to others even when we do not feel inclined to do so.

Are we persistent in our love of God and His children? Are we willing to humble ourselves to ask for help? Are we willing to love others even when we feel inconvenienced or uninspired to do so?

O Lord, help us to be persistent in following your Will and acting with love and mercy.

Amen.