17th
Sunday in Ordinary Time C - July 27, 2025
Genesis
18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13
Theme:
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
A. A
Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 11:1-13
1. Historical
and Literary Contexts
Jesus
continues to teach his disciples as they travel toward Jerusalem, where his
Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension will occur. In this passage, he
shares important lessons about prayer. Just before this, the disciples learned
from Martha and Mary how to be both active and contemplative followers of Jesus
(10:38-42). After this passage, the disciples will witness Jesus casting out a
demon and dealing with some people who refuse to believe in his divine power
(11:14-28).
2. Form,
Structure, and Movement
This
story includes sayings that can be regarded as parables. Luke arranges this account into
three sections. Jesus first presents the “Lord’s Prayer” (vv. 1-4), then
emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer (vv. 5-8), and finally
underscores the need to trust God when praying (vv. 9-13).
3. Detailed
Analysis
Vv.
1-4. The disciples of Jesus realize that, unlike John’s disciples, they do not
know how to pray. Seeing Jesus praying alone on this occasion prompts them to
ask Jesus to teach them. Jesus provides them with a Christian communal prayer,
well known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” There are some differences between Matthew’s
version and Luke’s. (1) Matthew’s version has seven petitions, while Luke’s has
only five. (2) Matthew uses “Our Father,” whereas Luke simply says “Father.” By
including “Our” before “Father,” Matthew emphasizes the family relationship
among believers, all of whom are children of the same Father. In contrast, by
stating that the disciples should address God simply as “Abba,” “Father,” as
Jesus does (see Lk 10:21; 22:42; 23:34; 23:46), Luke aims to bring believers
into the same close relationship with God that Jesus shares. (3) Luke does not
emphasize the separation between heaven and earth as Matthew does through
phrases like “Our Father in heaven” (Mt 6:8) and “your will be done, on earth as
in heaven” (Mt 6:10).[1]
Each
of the five petitions in this prayer conveys virtues for believers to observe. The
first petition is that the Father’s “name” be made holy. Note that God
manifests his holiness and sanctifies his name through his Son, Jesus. Through
this petition, Luke asserts that believers should contribute to the process of
sanctifying God’s name by practicing Jesus’s teachings. The second petition
expresses the believers' longing for God’s kingdom to come. This is the kingdom
of peace, justice, and love that Jesus has established, which all disciples and
believers are called to continue implementing wherever they live. The third
petition evokes the physical food necessary for their daily survival. This is
to ensure they are strong enough to carry out Jesus’ mission. It also reflects
their reliance on God’s sustenance each day. In the fourth petition (v. 4),
believers are challenged first to be capable of forgiving their offenders
before expecting God to forgive their sins. The final petition is “Do not
subject us to the final test.” The Greek word that Luke used here is peirasmos,
which means test or temptation. This petition does not imply that God subjects
believers to temptation; rather, it asks to be spared from a period of severe
trial, sometimes referred to as “messianic woes” and identified here as the
“final test,” which, according to Jewish apocalyptic writings, will occur
before the end of the age.[2]
Vv.
5-8. The housekeeper's reaction in this parable, “Do not bother me; the door
has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed” (v. 7), is
realistic given the Palestinian-Jewish customs of the time. In those days, the
whole family in a peasant home slept on the floor in a single room, above the
animals. Unlocking the door at night would have been unreasonable because the
father would have to step over everyone sleeping to reach it; additionally,
removing the wooden or iron bar that secured the door was a tiresome and noisy
process that would not only disturb the family but also create a fuss among the
livestock.[3] Jesus conveys two lessons
here. (1) Persistence in prayer: if friendship cannot convince this father in
the parable to get up at midnight and assist his friend under such
circumstances, then the persistence of a petitioner can. (2) The generosity of
God: if this father in the parable, who is human, ultimately helps the
persistent man, how much more will God act out of love?
Vv.
9-13. Jesus first teaches his disciples about the process of prayer, which he
summarizes in three imperative verbs: “ask, seek, and knock.” The focus here is
not on what to ask but on how to pray. Second, through the parable of a snake
versus a fish and a scorpion versus an egg, Jesus encourages his disciples to
trust God when they pray, because God knows what to give to those who ask him.
4. Synthesis
First,
Jesus teaches his disciples the Christian communal prayer known as the “Lord’s
Prayer.” This prayer consists of five petitions, each conveying Christian
virtues to believers. (1) Believers should contribute to sanctifying God’s name
by practicing Jesus’s teachings. (2) They are called to continue implementing
the kingdom of justice, peace, and love that Jesus established. (3) The
physical food necessary for their daily survival ensures they are strong enough
to carry out Jesus’ mission. It also reflects their reliance on God’s
sustenance each day. (4) They must first be capable of forgiving their
offenders before expecting God to forgive them their sins. (5) They ask to be
spared from a period of severe trial, sometimes referred to as “messianic woes”
and identified here as the “final test,” which, according to Jewish apocalyptic
writings, will occur before the end of the age. Second, Jesus encourages them
to be persistent in prayer and reassures them of God’s generosity. Third, he
teaches them the essence of prayer, which focuses not on what to request but on
how to pray. He also urges them to trust God because God knows what to give to
those who ask him.
B. Pastoral
Implications
1. Liturgical
Context
Today’s liturgy invites
all Christians to learn how to pray to God with perseverance and complete
trust. Each of the five petitions in the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus teaches us
in the Gospel conveys virtues we are called to uphold. The first reading encourages
us to imitate Abraham’s perseverance in prayer. In the second reading, Saint
Paul reminds us that through our baptism, we were buried with Christ and raised
with him by faith in the power of God who raised Jesus from the dead. This
indicates that God grants us what we ask of him, just as today’s responsorial
Psalm sings, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.”
2. What
the Church Teaches Us Today
1. Jesus’ prayer life has
inspired his disciples. We should not feel ashamed or shy to say prayers,
especially vocal prayers, in front of others. Our prayer life can inspire those
around us and motivate them to do the same. Realizing that they don’t know how
to pray, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them. We should not hesitate to learn
how to pray, particularly when it comes to spontaneous prayers. Since prayer is
our spiritual food, we should strive to improve it every day.
2. Matthew’s version of
the “Lord’s Prayer” uses “Our” before Father, highlighting the family bonds
that must exist among us, who are all children of the same Father. In contrast,
Luke’s version simply states “Father,” emphasizing the close relationship that
we, as children, should have with God, our Father. By bringing both versions
together, praying the “Lord’s Prayer” encourages us to cultivate perfect
relationships with God and one another.
3. The first of the five
petitions in this prayer is that the Father’s name be made holy. This means we
are called to contribute to sanctifying God’s name by practicing Jesus’s
teachings. The second petition is that the kingdom of justice, peace, and love
should be made manifest. This is our mission to implement this kingdom wherever
we live. In the third petition, we ask for the physical food necessary for our
daily survival to ensure that we are strong enough to carry out Jesus’ mission.
It also teaches us that we rely on God’s sustenance each day. The fourth
petition challenges us first to be capable of forgiving our offenders before we
expect God to forgive us our sins. In the fifth petition, we request God to
spare us from a period of severe trial, sometimes referred to as “messianic
woes” and identified here as the “final test,” which, according to Jewish
apocalyptic writings, will occur before the end of the age.
4. Through the parable of
a man who helped his friend at midnight, not out of friendship but because of
his friend's persistence, Jesus encourages us to be persistent in prayer and
reassures us of God’s generosity. The story of the dialogue between Abraham and
God in our first reading provides a model of prayer that emphasizes
perseverance. In this account, God decides to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to
their sins, and Abraham wants to know how many righteous people must be found
among the wicked for God to save everyone. From the suggestion of fifty to ten
innocent people, Abraham persists six times in his efforts to save Sodom and
Gomorrah. We, too, are called to keep persisting and not to give up when we
pray to God.
5. Through the parable of
a father who, despite being wicked, cannot give his son a snake when he asks
for a fish or a scorpion when he asks for an egg, Jesus teaches us about the
essence of prayer. This prayer emphasizes not what to ask for, but how to pray.
He also encourages us to trust God because He knows what to give to those who
ask him.
Saint Paul reminds us
that through our baptism, we were buried with Christ and raised with him by
faith in the power of God who raised Jesus from the dead. This means that God
grants us what we ask of him, just as today’s responsorial Psalm sings, “Lord,
on the day I called for help, you answered me.” Therefore, let us ask for God’s
grace in this Eucharistic celebration so that we may learn to pray with
perseverance and total trust in God. Amen.
Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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