Word to the Wise
Thursday, October 8, 2015 - Thursday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
[Mal 3:13-20b and Luke 11:5-13]"If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" [Luke]
In a culture where "honor" is an essential value and all relationships are known in the village, the reluctant friend will get up and hand over the loaves of bread because the commotion would otherwise wake up the neighbors and they would know about the reluctance! Persistence can pay off. There is a bigger picture of the existing relationship which may be all that is needed. Furthermore, the thing that is asked for is appropriate and not some elaborate whim. Hospitality is another serious value in the Middle East.
I think we can lose sight of that bigger picture when we have an immediate need and want God to take care of it. The longer relationship enables us to know what is the right thing to seek. It also enables us to put into perspective a response which is not the one we were seeking. We do know that God will give us what we need, especially by being present in the Spirit when things get really rough, as they were for the church that Luke was writing for. I know in my own life that there have been occasions when I simply did not know what to do with a difficult situation and had to put the resolution in God's hands. I know this can be frightening, but it's a bit like learning to swim. I was scared to jump in the water even with the instructor standing down there waiting for me! This becomes clearer as I age and realize that I'm going to have to make that jump more and more! AMEN
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