＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

 Malachi 3: 13-20b

 You say very harsh things about me, says Yahweh, and yet you say:

“What harsh things did we say against you?”   You say: “It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing his commandments or in leading an austere life for his sake. Happy are the shameless!   Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they re­main unharmed.”

 Those were the very words of those who fear Yahweh. Yahweh listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once that the names of those who respect him and reverence his Name be written in a record.

 And he declared, “They will be mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them as a father cares for his obedient son.   And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey him.

The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day all the proud and evildoers will be burned like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots.   On the other hand the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect my Name and bring health in its rays. You will come out leaping like fattened calves.

 

Ps  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 11: 5-13

Jesus said to them, “Sup­pose one of you has a friend and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,   for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived and I have nothing to offer him.’

 Maybe your friend will answer from inside: ‘Don’t bother me now; the door is locked and my children and I are in bed, so I can’t get up and give you anything.’  But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need.

  And so I say to you, ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.  For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

  If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead?  And if your child asks for an egg, will you give  him a scorpion?  If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heaven Father give the holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 

 Reflection gospel：

“ASK, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.”

We know quite well St. Augustine of Hippo who lived a rather naughty life. A story is told that his mother, St. Monica, requested a bishop to talk to him. But the bishop declined saying it is a futile move. 

However, recognizing her sincere prayer and her tears for the conversion of her son, the bishop said, “Go, continue to live so; it cannot be that the son of those tears will perish.” And we know how this story ends: answered prayers.The gospel points to the certainty of God’s generosity in answering prayers. In other word, God ALWAYS answers prayers.

But there is one important thing we ought to bear in mind: we need to allow God to answer our prayers in the manner that he knows best, it can happen that we will not know what to receive when we ask, or what to find when we seek, or which door will be opened when we knock, but for certain, not one person who approaches God in earnest supplication will go empty-handed.