In the First Reading for this Sunday, taken from the Book of Genesis, we see Abraham haggling with God. Anyone who has bought something from a merchant in the Middle East would know the experience. The original Middle Eastern audience of the text would no doubt have found an element of humor in Abraham presuming to haggle with God himself.
In Middle Eastern cultures, haggling was (and often still is) an everyday part of financial transactions, usually involving an element of theatricality as both sides try to prevail over the other. But we see one key difference in the interaction between Abraham and God. Unlike in traditional haggling, in this account, only Abraham is arguing, as he is trying to lower the number needed to save the city. God gives in to him each time, without a counter argument.
The passage highlights both God's justice and mercy. On the one hand, sin has consequences. Given their sinfulness, Sodom and Gomorrah both deserve to be punished. But on the other hand, God is merciful. When Abraham intercedes on behalf of Sodom, God is ready to spare the city for the sake of even ten righteous inhabitants.
But later we see that Sodom doesn't have even ten righteous residents. The one righteous family living there is brought to safety and then the city receives its punishment. Historically, the Catholic Church has always read the Old Testament through the lens of Christ, understanding the text as always pointing forward to Christ, as does this narrative too. Ever since the Fall, humanity has been mired in sin. But Jesus is the truly righteous person who offers himself up as a sacrifice for all of humanity. Though all of humanity would deserve a punishment like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, God spares humanity for the sake of Christ's sacrifice.
In the Second Reading for this Sunday, taken from the Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul continues his beautiful reflection on Christ. We must, St. Paul shows us, die to the world and be centered fully on Christ. Christ has washed us clean and has freed us from the bonds of sin. We must not fall back but must always cling to Christ and orient our lives entirely toward him.
At the heart of maintaining our relationship with Christ is our prayer life. We need to pray regularly, both on our own and by participating in the public prayer of the Church, especially the Mass. The Gospel reading for this Sunday discusses prayer in great depth. The passage contains one of two descriptions found in the New Testament of Jesus imparting the Our Father to the disciples. Today, pilgrims can visit the cave in Jerusalem where, according to tradition, Jesus taught the prayer to his first followers.
As we reflect on the nature of prayer, one way to analyze the dynamics of how we should pray is through the acronym ACTS, which stands for Adoration - worshipping God with our whole being, Contrition - asking for forgiveness for our sins, Thanksgiving - being grateful to God for his abundant gifts, and Supplication - asking God for blessings for ourselves and for others. We can find all four of these elements in the Our Father and in the Mass. Our prayer life in general should include all four each day.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus also enjoins upon us persistence in prayer. We are to pray and pray and pray, trusting that God will give us the answer that is best for us at the time that is best for us. As mentioned before, St. Monica prayed for 17 years for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine, who in time became a bishop and a pillar of the Catholic Church.
But, we might ask, why does God not just give us what we need without needing to ask for it? The answer is to build our relationship with him. Imagine living in a house where a mysterious person whom you never see prepares everything for you in advance, leaving the best clothes and food and many other things for you. If you never see the person, then you will never know who to thank, whose kindness you are enjoying.
We are to pray for each other for a similar reason. Some things God will not grant to us unless others intercede on our behalf. Praying for each other and obtaining graces for each other creates an ever-deepening web of love in the Body of Christ.
That web of love doesn't just involve the earthly Church. Just as we pray for each other here on earth, the saints pray for us as well. In fact, they can pray for us all the more because they are in Heaven with God. The greatest of our heavenly intercessors is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. Therefore, let us turn especially to her, our Holy Mother. Let us ask her to lead us to her Divine Son, the righteous one for whose sacrifice the Father spared the world.
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The readings for the Seventeeth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C, are:
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: Pater Noster Cave, where Jesus taught the Our Father to his disciples by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.