Be Bold and Persistent

“Ama, you sit here and I’m going to sit in this chair. Now you can read to me.” Thus says the two-and-a-half-year-old grandchild as she brings a story to be read to her. She has no hesitation about telling an older person what to do and when or how to do it. She is still so very innocent that she boldly expresses what she would like to have happen and trusts the rest of the family will comply. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that things go her way, but she’s confident that most of the time it will, especially on visits with grandparents.

As we get older, we learn the world doesn’t revolve around us. We learn that people in power don’t always listen to those with lower status or power. We learn to be cautious in our expectations and not to aim too high.

Yet is this the way to approach our relationship with God? Maybe not.

Abraham’s visitors went on their way after having a fine meal at the camp of Abraham and Sarah at the terebinth of Mamre. But one stayed behind to speak further with Abraham. It seems he, the Lord, was going to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to see if the people there were indeed as wicked as he had heard they were. If that turned out to be the case, he planned to destroy the cities and all within them.

Now Abraham found this quite disturbing. He had family members living in Sodom and didn’t want to see any harm come to them. So, he began to appeal to the softer side of the Lord. What if there are fifty good people in the city. Would you kill the innocent with the guilty? Well, when put that way, the Lord agreed it would not be fair to the fifty, so he agreed to spare the city if fifty good people were found.

So far, so good. But Abraham didn’t stop there. He boldly asked, What about if there are only forty-five? The Lord agreed that forty-five would be enough to hold off destroying the city. The bargaining continued until they finally agreed that if there were as many (or as few) as ten good people, the Lord would not destroy the city.

Abraham was polite, respectful, and yet bold in his advocacy for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord responded with kind respect as well, willing to listen to a plea for mercy. A very different response than can be expected from most rulers. Abraham was bold and persistent. He started with a large number and continued bargaining, requesting mercy for a population with fewer and fewer examples of good behavior and good will. When he stopped, it was probably because he assumed at least his own extended family would make up enough good people to save the cities. (Gen 18:20-32)

The question of how to be an advocate with the Lord has continued through the centuries.

Jesus was asked one day by his disciples to teach them how to pray. He responded with what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer,” a.k.a. “The Our Father.” We begin, speaking to God as a loving father, with the hope that his power and authority will be recognized and respected by all. We hope for the coming of the Kingdom and that the Lord’s will should be done everywhere. Then come the practical things – daily bread, forgiveness for our offenses, protection from temptation, and deliverance from evil. One hitch is that forgiveness is requested to the degree that we ourselves forgive others. That’s not always easy. But all in all, it’s a strong prayer that rests on the loving, intimate family relationship of parent and child. “Daddy, you sit here while you read me a story.”

Jesus didn’t stop with just how to pray. He went on to encourage great confidence in prayer. “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.” Keep knocking even if you get a negative result the first time. The neighbor who won’t get up and wake his whole family to get you an extra loaf of bread for a guest the first time you ask will do so if you keep asking again and again in the night. Be persistent. Be bold. (Lk 11:1-13)

Now, do we always get what we ask for in prayer? No. So what about that promise of ask and you shall receive? Maybe it’s a question of what is requested and for whom?

Abraham asked on behalf of the innocent people in Sodom and Gomorrah. For the innocent ones, the Lord was willing to change plans.

When we ask for things that only benefit ourselves, there’s no guarantee the request will be granted. But if we ask on behalf of another person, and what we ask is genuinely what will be best for that person, our request is more likely to be granted. Sometimes, when we ask, it begins the process of consideration of what would be a good thing to see happen. Might we do something ourselves that would help? We are the Body of Christ now in our time. How can we do the Lord’s work and bring about needed change or help for those in need?

Sometimes it takes a long time for change to happen. Sometimes suffering continues far too long, because the forces causing the pain are strong and don’t easily surrender. It’s then that persistence is essential. It may take many years, but with enough people working for reform or change, the new way comes into being. Doors open. Opportunities appear. And lives are changed.

As we move through the days and weeks to come, may we remember to pray constantly, seeking ways to bring the Kingdom and the freedom of loving response to the challenges of our time into our everyday lives. How do we help the poor? How do we support immigrants? How do we keep healthcare accessible for those whose employers don’t offer it? How do we provide books and opportunities for children in school to learn? How do we feed children so they can learn when they get to school?

So many, many challenges face us all at this time. Yet the Lord assures us, “Ask and you will receive.”

So, let us ask boldly and act with courage to open the doors of our hearts, minds, and homes to live in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Love for all, regardless of social or legal status. All are God’s children. All are our sisters and brothers. All…

Be bold and be persistent.

Readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C