HOW TO PRAY PERSISTENTLY

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Bible Readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13

The Gospel according to Luke is often referred to as the Gospel of Prayer. More than any other evangelist, St. Luke consistently showed Jesus at prayer. Jesus prayed at all the key moments of His life: baptism (Luke 3:21), before choosing the twelve apostles (6:12), before Peter’s confession (9:18), during the Transfiguration (9:28), and even on the Cross.

In today’s Gospel passage, we find Jesus once again at prayer, and this time, His prayer inspired one of His disciples to make a request: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). This simple and profound request opened a deep well of spiritual insight. The disciples did not ask Jesus how to perform miracles or preach great sermons. They asked Him how to pray because they saw that prayer was the source of His power, the core of His identity, and the heartbeat of His relationship with the Father.

If Jesus, the Son of God, prayed constantly, then we, His followers, are called to be men and women of prayer. And to learn how to pray, we must, like the disciples, go to Jesus and ask Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In response to this request, Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer not merely as a formula, but as a framework. It teaches us how to relate to God as Father, how to align our hearts with His kingdom, how to trust Him for daily provision, seek forgiveness, and ask for strength against temptation.

At the end, Jesus did not simply teach them how to pray but also how to persist in prayer. This he did using the story of a man knocking on his friend’s door at midnight, unwilling to give up. The persistence was rewarded not because of the man’s friendship, but because of his shameless boldness; a bold insistence that refused to stop knocking. 

The first reading shows us what it means to persist in prayer. In a way that mirrors the parable in the Gospel reading, Abraham persistently “bargained” with God to spare the city of Sodom for the sake of the righteous. What is striking here is God’s patience and mercy. He did not rebuke Abraham for asking again and again. Rather, He listened. This passage reveals the heart of a God who is not quick to punish, but quick to forgive.

Just like Jesus encouraged us to be persistent in prayer, Abraham models what it means to stand in the gap for others, pleading for mercy, praying not only for our own needs, but also for those in danger, for sinners, and for the world. The psalmist makes clear both Abraham’s experience and the promise of Jesus. God does not ignore our prayers. He bends down low to listen. He may not always answer in the way or time we expect, but He is always attentive, always near. When we pray, we are not shouting into a void. We are entering into conversation with the living God, who cares deeply about us.

Therefore, we must become people of prayer. If Jesus prayed, so must we. Prayer must not be our last resort, but our daily bread. We must pray with persistence. Like Abraham, like the midnight friend, we must knock and keep knocking. Not because God is unwilling, but because prayer forms us, opens us, and deepens our trust in God. Our prayer should not only be about what we want, but about who we want to become - people shaped by the Spirit. We must pray not only for ourselves, but for others. Like Abraham, we must intercede for the world, for peace, for justice, for mercy, for the conversion of sinners. That is a priestly role every Christian shares.

Dear friend, let us renew our commitment to daily, heartfelt prayer. Let us be a Church where the fire of prayer never goes out. Let our homes be schools of prayer. Let our hearts become sacred places of divine communion. Amen.