Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 28, 2019
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
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.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
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?”
My older son, who is almost two years old, is speaking in short sentences now, but for many months he would express himself with only one or two words. No matter what he was trying to tell me, he would just say, “Dada.” “I need more raisins in my little cup,” would be him holding up his cup, saying, “Dada.” “I am scared and I need you to pick me up,” just “Dada,” with arms outstretched. “Dada” could mean “read me this book,” or “get me some milk,” or “rock me to sleep,” or “look at this dead thing I found in the yard!”
For a long time, I resisted reading the Lord’s Prayer through the lens of human paternal relations for many reasons. God cannot be conceived as a single gender in human terms. Many people have relationships with their fathers which are not affirming, not life-giving, and do not lead them to the love of God. Many desire to have children but are unable, making parental metaphors very difficult in their spiritual lives. These considerations are not at all diminished in my mind, but I have to admit that my experience as a parent has profoundly shaped my understanding of the Lord’s Prayer. Can I call upon God in my need, in my joy, and in my struggles as my child calls upon me? This question leads me to a sense of intimacy, humility, and trust that are positive and enabling as I approach God with the prayer that Jesus gives us. I hope it is this sense of belonging to God, even beyond the conditions of human relations, that fills our hearts when we pray.
Finally, I am delighted to take on the role of editor of FaithND. I hope that FaithND can continue to be a source of spiritual nourishment for all our readers like the “daily bread” that Jesus teaches us to ask for in today’s Gospel.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we pray that through word and action, we might pass on the faith to other people and so bear fruit that yields a hundredfold. We pray for whatever conversion we need, so that we can be a faithful disciple of yours today—the good soil that hears your word and understands it. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Nazarius was an early Christian martyr who learned the faith from St. Peter himself, and then traveled far and wide to share it with others.
Nazarius’ father was an officer in the Roman army, and his mother was a Christian. Through her, Nazarius was connected to the Christian community in Rome, and he was instructed in the faith by Peter.
Filled with zeal to share the good news with others, Nazarius left Rome to teach the faith to others, and enlisted the help of another young man, Celsus. When they arrived in Milan, they were arrested under a new persecution ordered by the emperor. They were both beheaded and buried in a garden.
Several centuries later, St. Ambrose discovered their remains. In Nazarius’ tomb, Ambrose found bright red, flowing blood that looked as though it had just been spilled. He moved the bodies of these saints into a new church, and a woman who was suffering from a possession was exorcised and liberated at that place through their intercession.
Relics of St. Nazarius rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Nazarius, you were the young man who learned the faith from St. Peter and were killed for sharing it with others—pray for us!