Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

July 27, 2025

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 11:1-3

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."

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 the visitor 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?"

A VIEW FROM THE PULPIT ...

providing insight into the Gospel's meaning

Everything You Need to Know About Prayer

~ Rev. Paul Galetto, OSA

Pastor, Saint Paul Parish + Philadelphia, Pa

This pericope is divided into three parts: how to pray, persistence in prayer, assurance that prayers are answered.

Jesus at prayer sets the example. Address God as Father as he does. Only God can accomplish the first two requests: that God’s name be holy and that God’s kingdom be realized. Then ask God for daily bread. The bread requested is that which is needed for our very being, our lives. This recalls the manna in the desert which, except for the Sabbath day, was enough for the one day. We should not ask for too much security at once. (Next week, the teaching of Jesus reminds us to guard against the accumulation of possessions.) Next, Jesus teaches us not only to invoke God’s mercy but to realize that a person who prays is a person who should forgive. One cannot receive forgiveness without giving forgiveness. Just as we might have a claim on God’s forgiveness, so others have a claim on ours. The final petition requests protection from temptation.

Jesus uses an example from the disciples’ lived experience: would your friend deny you if you were persistent? Even if that friend would, God would not. God is good all the time.

Persistence is the bridge to the assuredness that prayers are answered. Prayer changes the one who prays. God will not give us what would be harmful to us. Our prayers may not be answered at first because God wants us to ask for what we need, not for what we want.

As generous as human parents can be, God is more so. God will not give us harmful things. Sometimes we may choose harmful things without considering God’s will for us and then our prayers must be those of asking for forgiveness: Sorry, God, I was being selfish.

A VIEW FROM THE PEW ...

offering testimonies on how the Gospel is meaningful

Structured Prayer for Unstructured Days

~ Linda Davis

Saint Mary's Catholic Church + Lancaster, Pa.

As a mother, there are many days when self generated prayer feels unattainable. My mind is scattered with a hundred to-dos, my body is tired and my heart carries concerns too heavy to name. In these moments, I am so grateful for the gift of structured prayer, especially the Lord’s Prayer. In this Gospel, Jesus gives us the perfect prayer to shape how we can pray when the words will not come.

The cadence of these prayers steadies my heart. It draws my focus from my daily chaos to God’s and His eternal goodness. These prayers aren’t about my feelings or my overwhelm, they’re about entering into a relationship with my Father who already knows what I need.

Jesus then encourages persistence in prayer. Like a child asking their mother something again and again (…and again, and again…) we are called to persist as we ask, seek and knock. Not because God forgets, but because our hearts grow in trust with each call for help.

If I, as a wildly imperfect mom, know how to give good gifts to my children, how much more will our Heavenly Father pour out His gifts on us through the power of the Holy Spirit?

In the busy, uncertain moments of motherhood, I return to the structure of prayer. It holds me when I don’t know what to say and reminds me that my Father is listening. Always.

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