The theme of today's readings is very clear: the importance of prayer. In the first reading we see prayer for others. Abraham prays to save the cities that God threatened to destroy because of their corruption. He got God to agree that if there were even 10 good men in those cities, he would not destroy them. But was his prayer effective? It seems not, because in the end God destroyed the cities. What is the use of praying if God does not listen to us? But, in fact, the only good people in the city were saved, namely Lot, who was Abraham's cousin, and his family. So Abraham's prayer was effective, but not as he expected. All the good people in the city were saved. This helps us to see that God hears our prayers, but not always as we expect.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us to pray first of all by his example. Seeing him pray, the disciples wanted to learn to pray themselves. Without boasting, our example of prayer can inspire others to pray. Next, Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer, the perfect prayer and model prayer. And to encourage us to persevere in prayer, he tells us a beautiful parable about a man whose insistence finally gets his friend out of bed to give him the food he had come for.
Jesus encourages us here to pray, to keep knocking at God's door. We have nothing to give to others. If we want to give them something of value, we must go to God. And then Jesus gives three amusing examples: "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?". Of course not. Well, if "ye therefore who are evil".says Jesus, "you know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?". The Holy Spirit is the best gift of all: he is God himself, the living gift, the person-gift. In the Holy Spirit are all the gifts, every gift.
The message is clear: let us pray for others, let us be bold, daring, confident, like Abraham, who prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us pray to save our society, our country, or for the conversion of other countries. God wants us to ask, to be "annoying", he invites us to bother him. "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.". But we must trust in God's goodness. If we want to give good things to others, no matter how sinful we are, He is even more willing to do so.
