Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 2, 2023
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
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.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”
When my 6-year-old started asking if she could get her ears pierced, my initial reaction was, “This isn’t my plan; I always thought I’d wait until she’s older.” With each earnest plea, my heart cracked open a little more. Understanding how much she wanted this, we finally scheduled an outing, and she now has pierced ears.
Last week my 3-year-old picked up a bag of crackers in someone else’s house, inadvertently upending the bag, so the contents spilled onto the floor. Before I could become exasperated, he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said solemnly, “I’m sorry.” With that simple, sincere ask for forgiveness, any anger I might have had at another mess to clean up instantly melted away.
Today’s gospel says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The daily grind of raising kids often provides examples of how parenthood is a window into the heart of God.
Sometimes my answer, like God’s, is “no” or “not right now.” But, I love to say yes whenever I can and am much more likely to do so when my children come to me with a genuine request. I know that I have my children’s best interests at heart, and in those cases when a no is truly required, I trust that they’ll come to understand the long view eventually.
If we earthly parents instinctively respond to the earnest words of our children, and the love of earthly parents is an imperfect mirror of the love of God, how worthwhile it must be to bring to God our needs in prayer.
Prayer
Lord, your son taught us that those who ask, receive; that those who seek, find; and that those who knock, have the door opened for them. May we pray with such believing faith, trusting in your divine providence, so that we may receive the gifts you wish to give to us as we faithfully seek to follow your son. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Angela was a young woman from Spain who founded the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. Angela was born as María de los Ángeles Guerrero y Gonzálex in Seville, Spain in 1846.
She was one of fourteen children, most of whom did not survive childhood. Her parents were humble workers who worked at a Trinitarian Friary in their city. Angela did not receive much formal education, but she received catechesis and received her first communion at eight and confirmation. When she was just twelve years old, she began to repair shoes in a local cobbler's shop.
Although a shoe repair shop seems like an unlikely place to encounter Christ, it was while working in this shop that the flames of young Angela's faith were fanned. Antonia Maldonado, the owner of the shop, encouraged all her employees to pray together during the work-day. Antonia taught them the lives of the saints. Antonia's spiritual director, a priest renowned for his spiritual wisdom, often heard the confessions of the women in the shop. At the age of nineteen, Angela applied to become a Carmelite sister. The Carmelites denied the frail young woman's request, as she did not seem suited for the manual life of the monastic Carmelites.
Angela's confessor recommended that she begin working among the ill of the city on her own. In 1865, a cholera epidemic was running through Seville, and there were many sick men and women in need of care. Angela cared for the sick, and still kept her heart set on religious life. She applied to join the Daughters of Charity in Seville. She was accepted, but illness kept her from becoming a full part of the community. Angela returned to the shoe shop and began to plan and pray for a new venture. In 1875, Angela and three companions founded a religious community to support the local poor and ill. Angela took the name Mother Angela of the Cross. The archbishop of Seville approved the order one year later in 1876, and two more communities were established. In the years that followed, over twenty communities sprung up all over Spain. The Sisters of the Company of the Cross continue to minister in Spain to this day. Mother Angela died on March 2, 1932, at the age of eighty-six. She was canonized by John Paul II in 2003 in Madrid. Mother Angela is a great model of perseverance in doing God's will. Despite facing obstacles, Angela continually sought to serve God, despite her own limitations.
St. Angela of the Cross, who gave her life in service to the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Angela of the Cross is in the public domain. Last accessed February 4, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.