[Pearls Ep 129: Monday motivation.]
In yesterday’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock.
This is truly foundational for our interior life – it’s not coincidental that Jesus gives us this directive on the heels of teaching us to pray the Our Father.
And there’s little doubt we all have things on our mind and heart for which to ask, seek and knock.
St. Bede offers some practical suggestions on how we go about asking and seeking and knocking:
Ask – “we ask by praying.” Well, that seems fairly obvious – but St. Bede is talking about deep prayer. Prayer from the heart – and prayer that draws us to Christ. Here’s a suggestion – meditate on scripture related to what you’re asking. If your “ask” is for a sick relative, perhaps meditate on the men lowering their friend to Jesus through the roof.
Seek – St. Bede says we seek by “proper living.” What is our model of proper living? Strike that. Who is our model of proper living? Jesus. We emulate Jesus. Another suggestion – offer some small sacrifice (e.g. skipping sweetener in your coffee….) this week connected to what you are asking for. If you’re already doing that, perhaps simply deepen that sacrifice in some way – like combining it with a prayer of gratitude to Christ.
Knock – “we knock by persevering.” What are we persevering for? The kingdom to come. And with that, “Ask, seek, knock,” brings us full circle to the opening of the Our Father – who art in Heaven, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.
As always, this isn’t just high falutin, pious language. The whole point of the Our Father and “ask, seek, knock” is our transformation – that’s also according to St. Bede (and just about every spiritual master who expounds on this scripture).
And as St. Augustine says, “May that kingdom come within us, and may we be found in that kingdom.” The great Saint points out the circular relationship of our transformation. The more we bring ourself to Christ in our asking, seeking and knocking, the more He dwells in us (the kingdom comes to us), and the more we live in the kingdom, rather in than in the world.
And then what happens? Well, for starters, the better we can intercede for those in our life, the better we can be God’s instrument for others, and the better we can recognize God’s handiwork in our life and the lives of others – and we recognize that God’s plan is perfect, and often much better than what we originally asked for.
Here’s how St. Catherine of Siena puts it in her “Dialogues,” when reflecting on her own transformation: “Thanks, thanks to You, oh! Father, for having granted me that which I asked You and that which I neither knew nor asked…”
Praying for a week of deeper asking, seeking and knocking for you–
Steve and Karen Smith – Interior Life