Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 10, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’
“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
“Mom, can I have a ___?” What parent doesn’t hear this from a child at least three times a day? I’ve never thought about giving a scorpion or a snake to my daughters instead of whatever they requested, but I often try to encourage alternative choices when the plea is for cotton candy, a unicorn, or a video game. Sometimes my daughters are content with the substitute, like if I offer them an apple instead of candy or a stuffed unicorn instead of an actual unicorn. Other times, when nothing will satisfy their desire besides the video game, I have to endure their whining and complaints until they get over it.
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that whatever we ask for will be granted and any door we knock upon will be opened for us. What he doesn’t promise is that what we receive will be precisely what we request. As a parent, I have to weigh many options when I’m deciding what is best for my children. I believe God does the same thing for us.
Last year, I hoped to be assigned to travel for work between Christmas and New Year’s and I was disappointed that I did not get the assignment. Then, a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to his liver and lungs. We thought my dad would go through chemo and be with us for a few more years. God knew, as part of a larger plan, that it would be much better for me to spend the holidays with my family instead of traveling for work. My dad passed away at the end of February and I would give up 100 work trips to have another holiday with him.
There have been many instances where God has opened the precise door I knocked on or delivered on the exact request that I made. But God can also see past what we ask for in the present moment and bestows on us what will serve us best in the fullness of time. In the meantime, we have quite a few stuffed unicorns in our house.
Prayer
Father, sometimes we get discouraged and cynical. Deep down we know that despite our expectations, somehow and some way you must be answering our prayers. May the Spirit help us to look more closely at the Gospel and see how you really answer prayer. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Daniel Comboni was one of the Church’s great missionaries—he engaged all of Europe in the evangelization of the African continent.
He was born in the Lombardy region of Italy in 1831 to parents who farmed on land owned by a wealthy owner. His seven siblings all died young—six in their infancy—so his parents held him very closely. They were poor, but rich in faith and intimacy.
Daniel was sent away to a Catholic boarding school in Verona, where a vocation to the priesthood was awakened in him. During his studies, he became fascinated with the people of central Africa as they were described by visiting missionaries. He was ordained in 1854, and three years later set out with five others to help spread the Gospel there.
It took five months for the team to reach Khartoum, capital of the Sudan. They immediately encountered many difficulties, including hard work in an uncomfortable climate, the dire poverty of the people, and sickness. The death of several of his fellow missionaries did not dampen his zeal. He wrote to his parents:
“We will have to labor hard, to sweat, to die. But the thought that one sweats and dies for love of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the most abandoned souls in the world is far too sweet for us to desist from this great enterprise.”
He was forced to return to Italy to develop a new strategy for his missionary work. While he was praying at the tomb of St. Peter, he received an inspiration for a new plan—to “save Africa through Africa.” His idea was to empower the local Church in Africa so that it could regenerate and sustain itself, rather than approaching central Africans as helpless.
From that point, he began begging tirelessly throughout Europe for support and awareness of the emerging Christians of central Africa. Kings and queens, bishops and nobles responded. He could speak six different European languages in addition to Arabic and several indigenous African dialects. He founded Italy’s first missionary magazine and began gathering men and women in a religious order to sustain the work.
In 1877, he was ordained a bishop and given responsibility for the Church in central Africa. Soon after, a terrible drought and famine hit the area, which crippled the missionary efforts once again. Daniel and his missionaries endured, however, and tok steps to suppress the slave trade.
In 1881, Daniel fell sick and died. He was only 50 years old. Comboni priests, brothers, and sisters continue his work today in 41 countries. He was beatified in 1996 after an Afro-Brazilian girl was healed through his intercession. He was canonized in 2003 after his intercession was credited with the healing of a Muslim mother from Sudan.
St. Daniel Comboni, you built the Church in central Africa—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Daniel Comboni is in the public domain. Last accessed November 15, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
