The Lord’s teaching about how we pray, eg. how we are to ask favors from God?

Grace Is Indeed A Gift, Free For the Taking; But Is Not Cheap!

(The Lord’s teaching about how we pray, eg. how we are to ask favors from God?)

From the Sunday Missal booklet, it says the following regarding this Sunday’s Gospel Readings, "I’m hungry – give me something to eat" are the words of women, men, and of children or folks begging on the streets .... day in and day out. Their faces come to mind with the pleading words of this Sunday’s Scriptures, whether from Abraham, or from the parable stories of the Lord Jesus. First, from the Lord’s parable story, he tells us what happens after persistent begging – whether by a touched heart, namely out of generosity, or from wanting to rid of the pestering non-stop pleading from a solicitor or beggar, the solicitor or beggar almost certainly gets his/her favor from the relenting giver. In the story about Abraham, Abraham’s attempt at saturating the good will of God with maximized pleadings, got for Sodom & Gomorrha the Lord’s reprieve of the cities’ long overdue or deserved just punishment for their wrongs or evils.

Thus, it is with Jesus’ veritable and time tested advice ever to trust the will & mercy of God with respect to all our needs. He said, "Ask and you shall receive; knock and doors will be open for you." The truth of the matter is as humans we have no choice but that we usually have to engage in petitioning, negotiating, or bargaining without guaranty of granted favors. But with persistent trusting, and persevering at asking, God often bends his ways to grant us what we ask or what we need.

But mind you, and mind me – we are essentially beggars vs the Lord re: our desires and wants. For God gives and takes away. To him belongs granting or denying the particulars about our petitions. We never dictate the procuring of Divine favors; God gives, God takes away. He alone ultimately decides to deny what is bad for us, and decides to give what alone is good for us.

In this context, we have to exercise at all times the virtue of humility & patience but ever trusting in the Lord’s mercy, compassion, wisdom, and providence. Then, when God has given us our heart’s desire, and he often does, we are never to forget being grateful. We give thanks, and we make sure we never use Divine favors for evil or for anything essentially inappropriate. Because remember, at any time, God takes away – at any time we will be humbled into even a worse predicament prior to our bad situation.

God gives; and God takes away. God is the giver of all gits & blessings, all the graces in the universe -- both the actual graces and the sanctifying grace. Man can ask all the time, and all he needs. Yet it is still up to God's providence and mystery whether he gives them or not. We are all humble beggars before the Lord; let us never be poor takers.

The Good News of Salvation consists in Christ being the answer to all our problems. Christ has given us a new life, the life of grace. This is the life of freedom. If you believe, nothing is impossible in Christ; and for as long as it is in accord with the will of the Father.

Any talking or treating of God’s graces or gifts in the most casual manner vis a vis our mode of receiving or enjoying of these graces or gifts is not worthy and proper way of appreciating, and ingratiating of ourselves to our Giver of gifts, God. It takes more than our honesty or integrity of mind to be worthy of God’s Divine generosity for us.

And so for example, no pain, no gain; and no dying to ourselves, no rising into the new life of the spirit, and no real living of the abundant graces or gifts of God. It takes faith by grace to become worthily recipient of the graces/gifts of God. To attempt to obtain of God’s favor via any mere human or horizontal manner will only cut us off to the access of Divine graces,

whether material or spiritual. For it is never up to man to produce such heavenly blessings. It is providentially only up to the wisdom and mystery of the Divine, whether to grant or deny us his blessings. For remember, God gives, and God takes away.