17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 11:1-13) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jul 28
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - 18:20-32
"Let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time."
A reading from the Book of Genesis
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[a] 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[b] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
SECOND READING - Cl 2:12-14
"God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins."
A reading from the Letter to the Colossians
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 11:1-3
"Ask and it will be given to you."
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.[b]3 Give us each day our daily bread.4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 11:1-13)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
The Word of God in today's Gospel speaks of God's great love for His children. No parent loves their child as much as God loves humanity.
God is the Almighty One; He has full authority over all creatures and all things, including the soul and body of man.
Yet why did God humble Himself came down into the world and take on the form of a servant?
The answer is that it is because of God's immense love for humanity. But people do not truly feel or understand it, so they remain indifferent and cold toward God's love.
Meanwhile, God always loves humankind with all His heart. He came down to this world to bring all of God's love and His Word to teach humanity, in the hopes that people may receive salvation and live with Him forever.
Because of God's love, mercy, and compassion for humanity, Jesus obeyed God the Father and came to earth, enduring all humiliation and condemnation. He accepted having all the sins of mankind nailed to His own body and willingly suffered death on the Cross. How painful is it when people increasingly offend God? Yet He remains ever merciful toward humanity, even toward the most sinful. When they truly repent and return to God, He is always ready to forgive them.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us the prayer that is most pleasing to God the Father, which is the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation.” This prayer comes from the love with which Jesus Himself prayed to God the Father, and now He teaches it to us.
Jesus also taught people to always trust and have absolute faith in the power and love of God: "I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." He called everyone to be patient and persistent in prayer, and to believe that God will provide the best according to His divine will.
He said that even those who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children—how much more, then, will God, who is rich in love, kindness, forgiveness, and mercy, give to His children.
Therefore, trust in and have faith in the love and power of God. He will give all good things to those who come to Him with humble hearts, pleading through the prayer that Jesus Himself taught—the Lord’s Prayer.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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