Readings and meditation on the Word of God on the seventeenth Sunday in ordinary time, July 27, 2025

Delivered by Chendani Budhi, Maria Delie, Josephine Mercy Ho, and Erica Tanzil from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Genesis 18: 20-33; Rs psalm 138: 1-2a.2bc-3.6-7ab.7c-8; Colossians 2: 12-14; Luke 11: 1-13.GOOD REQUEST The theme for our meditation on this17th Sunday in ordinary time is entitled: Good Request. Last Sunday,our meditation highlighted on our good acceptance for what is given. There wasa teenager after hearing the sermon of the Pastor wrote to his parish Priests aWhatsapp message in this way: "Father, for the sake of fairness, before wecan accept  with good manner, we shouldfirst ask with the same manner, right?" The comment and reflection of that boycan be an inspiration for our meditation today. We accept something or somebodywith or without request. When it is without request, what we receive is a freegift or reward. Whereas if we accept with request, it means we are expected toask well for it. In our readings today, we are enlightened to ask God in goodand proper manner. There are at least three things here about our good request. First, concerning urgency or promptingneeds, we ask God with strong faith and we can make calculations with Him. Eachof our urgent need is certainly related to the matters of life or death.Abraham did that with God as told in our first reading today. For the sake ofthe salvation of soul, when faced with the threat of deadly sin, we can ask alot and with complain like Abraham, to insist God to help and to save us. Second, we ask God based on theprinciple that we are always dependent on God's providence. This is very much concerningour lives as mortals and our humble situation of life. Indeed, we have manyneeds to be attended, but we should behave like children towards the Father,namely we surrender our lives while asking for the outpouring of His blessingsupon us. The answers will be given according to His will; its quantity many or few,its time right or not, we depend all to the Father. He has the power to makethings happen. The prayer of "Our Father" that we always say is theway we ask and surrender to the Father's will to happen. There is no urgencyhere. Third, in the matter of the quality ofour lives as believers, we should ask for something that is new, better,relevant, and future. We want to leave the old, the useless, and the bad ones.We also try not to request to have a lot, to be rich, to become full of thethings of the world, and to be attached to this world. So the good news for ustoday reminds us to ask God in good manners, namely the urgency of oursalvation, our submission to His will, and the importance of the quality oflife. Let's pray. In name of theFather ... Almighty and generous Father, may we always hope and dependourselves on your provicence and care. Glory to the Father and to the Son andto the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...