By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted July 25, 2025

(See the readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

The most basic teaching of Christianity and Catholic life is “God loves us.” He knows each one of us and he loves us. He loves you. Jesus embodies this love whose greatest expression is when he lays down his life in love so that we might live in that love forever. He reminds us of that love, once again, in this Sunday’s Gospel passage.

God’s love is seen in his engagement with humanity and with each one of us. The Gospel passage begins with Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray. He gives them and us, the Lord’s Prayer, or the “Our Father.” The formula we are most familiar with is the version in the Gospel According to Matthew so the phrasing in today’s Gospel, from St. Luke, will seem different.

Fundamental to both is the start. Jesus tells us to address God as “Father.” He often speaks of the “Father” in terms of his relationship as “Son.” He and the Father are bound together as one in love. We are part of this relationship of love. Jesus invites us to call God “Father” and to listen to him as his children.

Unsurprisingly the relationships we have with our fathers — natural, adoptive or otherwise — will color our understanding of this relationship. Sometimes those relationships will help; but, unfortunately, sometimes they will hurt. So when we engage God as “father” we need to do so as he is “father” in himself.

He is the perfect Father who loves us unconditionally. He knows everything about us, he even knows us better than we know ourselves. He forgives our faults. He comforts us in our sorrows. He provides for all our needs. He encourages us when we feel down. He offers wise advice and counsel in our decision making. He accompanies us on the journey of life. He offers us hope when we feel despair. He offers us peace when we feel anxious. He listens to us and hears our prayers. His fatherhood is perfect and complete.

Our first response to “Our Father” is to acknowledge him for who he is – in other words – we “hallow” his name. Next, we pray that his “kingdom come.” In doing this we recognize that his way is the best way. In him we have everything we need for life, for he is Life. With him as King, we serve joyfully for his will is completely good, and good not just for myself but for all and everyone and for all time.

The remainer of the prayer contains petitions for daily life: food for nourishment (along with the “bread” which is his Word); a request for mercy (by which we acknowledge our humanity, imperfections and sins); and a promise, following his example, to forgive others. We also ask for perseverance and faithfulness as we are tested and tempted to doubt his love.

The next two sections deal with petitionary prayer. When we have needs in life we turn to the One who can answer those needs, “Our Father.” Jesus first speaks of persistence in prayer. He tells the story of the person who, in the middle of the night, realizes he needs some bread (three loaves). He goes to a neighbor and, even though it’s the middle of the night, asks for help. Jesus is using extremes here. This is a rare case where someone would call us in the middle of the night. However, we as petitioners recognize that if the need is really great, we will seek assistance at anytime, day or night.

As human beings, if we are the ones who are being asked for help, we might not want to get up to answer the door. Like the person in the story we might say “Go away.” Yet if the person keeps knocking or asking, we very well will give help. The point is that we should not stop asking when we do not get what we need immediately. The activity provides us an opportunity to trust in the Lord. This is clarified as Jesus moves into the next teaching.

“Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Our loving Father will answer our prayers, giving us what is best for us as Jesus says: “For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Part of the trust we need to have in our Father is confidence that he knows best what we need and what will help us. His knowledge and wisdom are far beyond ours. While our sight is limited, his is not. So Jesus reminds us that he will only give us what is good for us:

“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

God is love and he loves us. Jesus draws us into his loving relationship with his Father. In union with him in the Sacraments of Initiation we become adopted children of God and so we truly can call him “Father.” He loves us as a father, in this case the perfect Father, loves his children. He loves us completely.

We acknowledge his love, express our gratitude for his love, our need of his love and our reliance on his love every time we pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13; cf. Luke 11:1-4).

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.