Thursday, 08 October 2009

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Pelagia

See commentary below or click here
Saint Hilary : “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find”

Book of Malachi 3:13-20.

You have defied me in word, says the LORD, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, And going about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity.” Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened attentively; And a record book was written before him of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name. And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; Between him who serves God, and him who does not serve him. For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall

Psalms 1:1-2.3.4.6.

Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God’s law they study day and night.
They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.
But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:5-13.

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 him 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?”

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day :

Saint Hilary (c.315-367), Bishop of Poitiers and Doctor of the Church
The Trinity, I, 37-38

“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find”

How well I know, O God, all-powerful Father, that to offer myself to you in such a way that everything within me… speaks of you is the chief object of my life. You have granted me the gift of speech and it can bring me no greater reward than the honor of serving you and showing the world that ignores it and the heretic who denies it who you are, O Father of God’s only Son. Yes, that is indeed my only wish! However, I am in great need of begging for the help of your mercy so that you may swell the sails of my faith, spread out for you, with the breath of your Spirit and may prompt me to preach everywhere your holy name. For it is was not in vain that you made this promise: «Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you».

Poor, we beg for what we lack. We will zealously apply ourselves to studying your prophets and apostles. We will knock at all the doors our minds find closed. But you alone can answer our prayer…; you alone can open this door we are knocking at. You will give encouragement to difficult beginnings, affirm our progress, and call us to share in the Spirit who guided your prophets and apostles. In this way we won’t give their words a meaning different to the one they intended.

So grant us true understanding of the words, the light of intelligence, beauty of expression and faith in the truth. Grant us to speak what we believe…: that there is only one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.