Thursday of Week 27 Year 2

When I was a child, I thought that if I wanted something all I had to do was to pray really hard. A new toy for Christmas, a wonderful cake for my birthday, a raise in my allowance? I thought that all I had to do was ask. Eventually, of course, I figured out that the world didn't work that way; and God did not answer prayers the way I thought He would. I did not fully understand why God did not answer my prayer, but I reasoned that maybe He was still thinking about it, like how my parents would think about it when I asked them for something.

Later when I grew older, I began to understand why sometimes my prayers were not answered. In today's Gospel, Jesus reminds us to be persistent in prayer. But being persistent in prayer does not mean that God will answer our prayer according to our whims and fancies. Persistent in prayer involves praying and asking God to answer our prayer, but at the same time having full trust and confidence that God knows what is best for us. God understands our hearts better than we do ourselves. If we open our hearts, we will receive what we really want and need, even if it's not exactly what we might think we want and need. May we remain persistent and hopeful, knowing that God will do what is best for us, for His glory.