Today I pray that Jesus will give me power and wisdom to build an anti-capitalist society full of justice

 
Reading: Give us each day our daily bread. Luke 11:3.
 
Good morning, happy Wednesday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
In this reading from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-4), Jesus presents a scenario to his disciples.  Suppose you have an unexpected guest who shows up in the middle of the night.  Now this friend has traveled quite a distance and is hungry.  However, you don’t have any food in the house.  It’s late and all the markets are closed.  Thus, the only option available was to go next-door and ask a neighbor for some food.
 
However, in this scenario when the man goes to his neighbor’s house and says: “I need some bread,” this neighbor tells him to leave him alone!  After all, it was the middle of the night and everyone was in bed asleep.  However, the man persisted.  He did not leave but rather continued to ask!  Finally, the neighbor opens the door and gives the man some bread.  He did this not because he wanted to but rather, he simply wanted to silence this neighbor so he could get some sleep.  And so it was!  The neighbor was grateful for the food and the man finally went back to bed.  As we know, if the man had not been persistent in his request for food, he and his guest would have gone to bed hungry.
 
Prayer was an integral part of Jesus’ life and mission. He is the teacher of prayer and gives us a model of prayer. His relationship with the Father was at the core of his life and ministry. We pray this prayer of petition asking for God’s kingdom to come and to give us what we need to facilitate that in our lives and in our relationships.
 
We live in a world of many kingdoms where there is much inequality in sharing resources, as we pray for the coming of the Lord’s kingdom of justice, love, and peace. May we have generous hearts, a forgiving spirit and the light of God’s goodness to share with others. We pray that we may love and live in the spirit which Jesus shows us and desires for us.
 
Jesus encourages us to be persistent as well as patient.  He tells us that if we ask, we will receive.  And if we knock, eventually the door will be opened.  And if we are steadfast in our seeking, we will find.  The question for us may be: Will we patiently wait?  Do we truly trust that Jesus will open the door to us?  Do we believe that Jesus will satisfy our hunger? Do we trust that Jesus will gift and grace us with what we truly need?  Today I pray that Jesus will give me power and wisdom to build an anti-capitalist society full of justice.
 
Today I make mine this simple request, which certainly corresponds to one of my deepest desires: Lord, teach me how to pray. I stay with it, feeling how strongly I desire it, and I become aware I am asking it to Jesus himself, as his disciple. I spend time praying the Our Father slowly, word for word, savoring the depth of meaning of every phrase, making it my own. It is the Lord’s answer to my petition to teach me how to pray. But not a prayer of resignation or defeatism, but of vanguard and liberation.
 
Blessings,
 
Fr. Luis+