“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7

       One day, I received a private message from Diko (not his real name) who lives in Manila. He asked for help because his 79-year-old grandfather has been missing in Cagayan de Oro for two days.

       Lolo got separated from his chaperone at the Agora CDO bus terminal while on their way back to Ozamis coming from Davao. Their relatives sought the help of authorities, yet they got no favorable feedback. We asked the assistance of the different media companies to publicize the matter, and everyone cooperated to find Lolo.

       In the morning of the third day, we still didn’t receive any news. We kept praying for a miracle. In the afternoon, I received another message from Diko. “Lolo is finally home!” he said. Lolo walked from CDO all the way to Ozamis covering 160 kilometers. He had no money in his pocket; he was exhausted and hungry. But Lolo survived! Truly, God is a God of miracles!

       Friend, when nothing good seems to be happening in your life, remember: God is working behind the scenes! Aben Garlan (mail@abengarlan.com)

Reflection:Do you have unanswered prayers? Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Then be prepared to see the miracles unfold before your eyes.

Father in heaven, increase my faith in You.

St. Frances of Rome, religious, pray for us.

Queen Esther comes before the king and takes the risk of pleading on behalf of her people. This is dangerous for Esther because the king does not like to receive visitors nor listen to unsolicited advice. But she trusts the Lord to protect her. She believes she is doing God’s will and that her action will bear good fruit.

28 [C:12] Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord. 30 [C:14] She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, 31 [C:15] for I am taking my life in my hand. 32 [C:16] As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O Lord, always free those who are pleasing to you. 39 [C:23] Now help me who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord my God. And now come to help me, an orphan.40 [C:24] Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish. 41 [C:25] Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.

R: Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; 2 I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. (R) Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. 3 When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R)  7 Your right hand saves me. 8 The Lord will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. (R)

Jesus exhorts us to persevere in prayer for our needs. There will be a time when we have to keep on asking God for a particular grace or gift. Only in persevering will we receive it. Is God being mean? He is measuring the desire in our heart to do His will. “Desire is the key to prayer,” says Teresa of Avila.

A clean heart create for me, God; give me back the joy of your salvation.

7 Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, 10 or a snake when he asked for a fish? 11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

think: What is the one prayer you feel God has not answered yet? Keep on praying – He will answer you in His perfect time.

Read the Bible in one year Revelation 4-6

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

UNANSWERED PRAYERS

“Ask and it will be given to you…” Do you agree? Of course, you don’t dare to disagree with a word coming from the lips of Jesus, right? But honestly, didn’t you ask God for many things but He didn’t give them to you? If your answer is yes, don’t feel ashamed. You are not alone.

       When I was in the seminary and we got the chance to continue our studies abroad, we had three choices: Argentina, Philippines and Japan. I applied for Argentina and prayed very hard not to be sent to Japan (because of the language) and not to the Philippines (because it is a tropical, hot country). How I prayed! But I ended up 15 years in Japan and 33 years in the Philippines. How I prayed to be assigned in a parish and never, never as a teacher. But my first assignment as a priest was teaching at the SVD Nanzan University in Japan. How happy I was when my superior here in the Philippines assigned me to the Immaculate Conception Parish in Cubao. But after six years, I ended up (until now) teaching different subjects in various schools. And these are not the only cases where I got the opposite of what I had prayed for.

       “Ask and it will be given to you…” Hmmm, what happened? Luckily, I am not alone. Remember when Jesus prayed in  Gethsemane that the Father would spare Him of the horrible sufferings and death? Even Jesus’ prayer was not answered. An hour later, He was arrested and His passion began.

       Jesus added something to His prayer, something I had forgotten to add in mine. He told his Father, “Not My will but Yours be done!” We may ask God, but He knows better what is good for us. Looking back, I am glad that my prayers were not answered the way I wanted. After all, God knew better where and how I could live a fulfilled life. Now I don’t forget to add the words of Jesus in Gethsemane to my own prayers. For I have learned: God knows better. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

---------- REFLECTION QUESTIONS -----------

Is your faith shaken when God apparently does not answer your prayer? Do you add the words of Jesus in Gethsemane to your own prayers?

Lord, thank You for taking me in the “school of prayer.” Thank You for teaching me that it is better to leave the outcome of my petitions to You. Amen.