Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, as we gather for this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our readings invite us into a profound reflection on prayer, persistence, and the boundless generosity of our God. We hear the familiar story of Abraham bargaining with God in Genesis, the spiritual liberation recounted in Colossians, and most powerfully, Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray in Luke’s Gospel. As your Dominican priest, a son of St. Dominic, who himself was steeped in prayer and preaching, these readings strike deeply at the heart of our spiritual lives.

But let’s be honest. For many of us, hearing these ancient texts might lead to a natural question: “What does this mean for us, some 2,000 years after it was written? How does this apply to my life, right here, right now, in San Antonio, Texas, in 2025?”

Let’s begin with Luke’s Gospel. The disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And Jesus gives them what we now call the Our Father. This isn’t just a formula; it’s a blueprint for relationship. He then tells them parables – the persistent friend knocking at midnight, and the father who gives good gifts to his children. “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

This teaching on prayer isn’t about manipulating God, or about God being reluctant. Rather, it reveals the nature of a loving Father who wants to give us good things. The persistence isn’t for God’s benefit, but for ours. It trains us in humility, in dependence, in faith. It teaches us to discern what is truly good, and to trust that God’s answer is always for our ultimate well-being, even if it’s not exactly what we initially asked for.

Consider Abraham, boldly negotiating with God for the righteous in Sodom. This is not irreverence; it is profound intimacy. Abraham knows God’s justice, but he also trusts in God’s mercy and willingness to listen to the cries of His servant. This same God, the God of Abraham, is the God who listens to us, His children. This ancient story teaches us that our prayers, even when they seem audacious, are welcomed by a God who desires conversation and relationship.

And then, Colossians reminds us that we have been “buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” It declares, “and even when you were dead in transgressions… he brought you to life with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” This is the ultimate answer to our prayers, the ultimate good gift: redemption, forgiveness, and new life in Christ. This radical act of God’s love underpins all our petitions; it reminds us that we approach a God who has already given us everything.

So, what does this mean for us, here in 2025?

First, in a society inundated with instant gratification, these readings call us to cultivate the virtue of patience and persistence in our spiritual lives. We live in a world of quick fixes, where we expect immediate responses to our texts, emails, and online orders. Prayer is not a vending machine. It’s a relationship that deepens over time, through consistent effort, through showing up even when we don’t feel like it, and through trusting in God’s timing, not our own. Are we as persistent in our prayer life as we are in pursuing our earthly desires? Do we give God the same time and attention we give our social media feeds?

Second, these readings challenge us to re-examine the content of our prayers. Jesus teaches us to pray for daily bread, for forgiveness, for deliverance from evil, and for the coming of God’s Kingdom. This is not just about personal needs, but about alignment with God’s will, about seeking justice, mercy, and the spread of His reign on earth. In a world often marked by self-interest and division, our prayers should be expansive, embracing our families, our community, our nation, and indeed, the entire world. Do we pray for the conversion of hearts, for an end to violence, for peace in our city and across the globe, for those struggling with mental health, for the marginalized and the forgotten?

Third, these passages remind us of God’s unfathomable generosity in an often-cynical world. We are living in times of economic uncertainty, social unrest, and rapid change. It’s easy to become disheartened, to feel that resources are scarce, or that goodwill is in short supply. Yet, our God is the God of superabundance. He gives us the Holy Spirit, the ultimate good gift. He has already given us His Son. If God has given us these immeasurable gifts, how much more will He listen to our earnest petitions for what is good and necessary? This truth should infuse our lives with hope and inspire us to be generous ourselves, reflecting God’s giving nature to those around us.

As a community, St. Michael’s, let us take these lessons to heart. Let us pray with persistence, not as if we are twisting God’s arm, but as a demonstration of our faith and trust. Let us broaden the scope of our prayers beyond ourselves, interceding for a world desperately in need of God’s light and love. And let us always remember the boundless generosity of our Father, who delights in giving good gifts to His children.

For when we ask, seek, and knock with a sincere heart, God always answers, always opens, always gives. And the greatest gift He gives us is more of Himself.

May God bless you all.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.