＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Galatians 3:1-5

How foolish you are, Gala­tians!

How could they bewitch you after Jesus Christ has been presented to you as crucified? I shall ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by the practice of the Law, or by believing the message? How can you be such fools: you begin with the Spirit and end up with the flesh!

 So you have experienced all this in vain! Would that it were not so! Did God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you, because of your observance of the Law or because you believed in his message?

 

LK 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.

 

＊＊＊＊ 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 a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion? Even you evil people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those who ask him!”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Today’s Gospel gives us the easy formula for prayer: ASK! Trusting in God as our Father we ASK for our many needs! We are very familiar with this dimension.

We have litanies of petitions! When we pray we SEEK God’s holy will. It can happen that what we may be asking may not really be for our own good. So we must always say “Father, not my will, but your will be done.”

When we pray we KNOCK, that is we persevere in prayer, we pray unceasingly until our heart and mind become aligned to God’s will. In prayer we do not hope to change God! rather, when we pray we seek to be changed and begin to have the heart and mind of God!

That is why, in today’s Gospel Jesus concludes by reminding us that the Father is sure to give the Holy Spirit to those who pray the Sanctifier, the Advocate, the Consoler, the One who inspires and guides the disciples of Jesus.

How often do we beg for the gift of the Holy Spirit? We have so many needs, but one necessary need we have is for the Holy Spirit. When we beg for the Holy Spirit we can become like Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.