Thursday of the First Week of Lent
(Esther C:12.14-16.23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)
The young man was late for a crowded event. Because parking was tight in the downtown area, he said a prayer that he would find a space quickly. Surprised but hardly astounded, the man saw a car pull out of a parking place after riding hardly a block more. God always seemed to answer his prayers when the man turned to Him in need.
Jesus teaches us the same lesson in the gospel. He does not hesitate to call God our “Father” as well as his. As any father, God provides for our needs. “Do we have to ask Him?” we wonder. Not really, but recognizing our dependence on Him makes us more like His only-begotten son, Jesus.
The evangelist attaches to Jesus’ exhortation to pray the challenge that we care for one another. As in the “Our Father” where we ask God to forgive our offenses as we forgive others, we are to care for others as we ask God to care for us. This only reiterates what we just said: God’s true daughters and sons act like Jesus.
