Good Gifts
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 7:7-12- 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. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? 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.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
This is a hard Gospel. So many people have had the experience of asking God for something, only to receive what seems to be silence in return. There are many things that should be said about this experience. The first thing to note is that God wants to give us Himself. This is His primary gift to us. This is why He gives Christ to humanity and why He gives the Holy Spirit to all who ask. Second, God wants to give us what will bring us to Himself. God is willing to give us things that will bring us to Him. We might ask for these, and we might not ask for these. Sometimes these things are good (like a new job); sometimes they are difficult (like an illness).
Third, God isn’t interested in giving us what isn’t good for us—what won’t bring us to Him. The Gospel says that the heavenly Father gives “good things” to us. Fourth, there are times when He refuses to give even a good gift (like more income) if it might draw us away from Him. Fifth, God might not be saying “no” to our request; He might be saying “not now.” In these times, He is asking us to persevere in prayer. Certainly, God is a mystery to us. But we must always trust that God knows everything, He always does what is best for us, and He wants our true happiness even more than we do. We can always be certain that whatever God is giving us or is not giving us, it is the best thing for us.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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