# Ask and you shall receive: the power of persistent prayer
*2019-10-09*

> Bill Young reflects on the Gospel of Luke and the importance of making daily prayer a priority in our lives and families.

## The Promise of Luke 11

In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11:5-13, we encounter one of the most powerful and common promises in the Bible: 'Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.' Jesus uses the parable of a friend visiting at midnight to show us that if even a reluctant friend will eventually help because of persistence, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

This is a beautiful reminder that the Lord wants to answer our prayers more than anyone else ever could. He doesn't just give us answers; He gives us the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our weakness because we often do not know how to pray. Through the Spirit, our prayers gain greater power and efficiency, moving us from grace to grace.

## The Danger of Omission

One of the most practical questions we must ask ourselves is: how much do we actually ask? While most people believe in prayer, many do not believe in it enough to set aside dedicated time for it daily—whether that is praying with a spouse, with children, at work, or even on the phone. 

These omissions in prayer have a detrimental effect. They contribute to weak faith, weak marriages, weak families, and weak churches. When we do not value prayer highly or remember the exhortation to 'pray always' from Luke 18:1, we allow a culture of spiritual weakness to increase. We must make prayer a priority.

## Praying for the Sick

Prayer is the single most important thing we can do outside of attending Mass. If your family will not pray with you, you must pray for them. Today, we bring several specific intentions before the Lord for physical and spiritual healing. We pray for Peter, a husband of one of our Legion of Mary members, who suffered a broken nose. We also pray for those battling cancer: Annette, Roger, and Orlando, who is currently in hospice. We ask the Lord to heal them not only physically but spiritually, that their souls may belong entirely to Him.

## The Luminous Mysteries

Since it is Thursday, we pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, which were introduced by St. John Paul II. These mysteries lead us through the Baptism of Jesus, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration, and the Institution of the Eucharist.

I am particularly struck by the third mystery, the Proclamation of the Kingdom. Jesus tells us to cure the sick, raise the dead, and drive out demons, reminding us that 'without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.' This call to service and healing is central to our faith.

*Make prayer such a priority that you pray always, trusting that the Lord is eager to give you what you seek or something even better.*