Dear Preachers:

What kind of God did our Jewish ancestors believe in—one who allows a mere mortal, even a special one like Abraham, to "talk God down" from divine plans? How could a human being dare to bargain with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah—cities that have come to represent sinful excess? What boldness on Abraham’s part! Did our ancestors chuckle as they told this story, amused and proud of their forebear’s audacity? Perhaps they said, "Our father Abraham bargained with the Almighty and got God to show mercy to the heathen!"

But more than a humorous tale, isn’t this a profound theological reflection – an image of their God? In this story, God and Abraham resemble a merchant and a customer haggling in a marketplace. "Will you take fifty? How about forty-five? Suppose thirty? Ten?" And if God’s "merchandise" is human lives, why does God allow Abraham to bargain Him down so far? "Suppose ten are found?"

Perhaps God "loses" the argument not because Abraham is clever, but because the people of Sodom and Gomorrah – sinful though they may be – matter deeply to God. God seems ready, even eager, to yield. "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy." The point isn’t just Abraham’s boldness, but God’s immense mercy. Surely our ancestors were awed: "What a God we worship – so ready to spare two entire cities for the sake of a few!" This is the God they approached with reverence and trust, the God of mercy who listens to those who pray. At today’s Eucharist, we too might let our jaws drop in awe and gratitude as we worship that same God.

Note: Abraham does not plead for time to let the innocent escape. He asks that the whole city be spared because of them. What kind of math is that? Can ten righteous people outweigh the evil of the rest? What gives Abraham such boldness? He bases his plea on God’s very nature: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" But what kind of justice is this? It doesn’t fit our "quid pro quo" expectations. This, "Judge of all the earth," looks a lot like mercy. This is not justice as we would impose it; this is divine mercy – beyond our calculations and outside our usual systems of exchange. So let God act justly – and we are the beneficiaries!

This story encourages all of us – faithful believers and sinners alike – to pray boldly for mercy. It tells us not to worry about getting the words right. Speak up! Be daring, even outrageous! God is listening – and ready to respond. Too often, the "Old Testament God" is caricatured as stern, distant, and wrathful. But the God of Abraham is intimate and personal – willing to enter into dialogue, willing to be moved.

This image of God matches well with Luke’s Gospel, where the God of mercy and prayer is central.

As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, he continues to teach his disciples. We’ve already heard about the sacrifices he calls them to make, and how he is forming them in wholehearted love of God – calling them to hear the Word and live it out. (Remember Mary and Martha last week? The Good Samaritan the week before? There was work to be done.) Today, the focus shifts to prayer.

If Abraham could intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah, is there any people, land, religion, or nation we should write off? Who are we to draw the line – "I give up on them" – when God is so patient and open? Just as Abraham persisted, Luke’s parable of the persistent friend encourages us to pray with confidence and endurance. After all, the one inside is a "friend" – so keep knocking, even if at first there’s no response.

Prayer is a strong theme throughout Luke. Not only does Jesus teach about prayer, but Luke frequently shows him at prayer during decisive moments (see 3:21; 6:12; 9:18, 28, etc.). Jesus teaches us to pray regularly because prayer expresses our dependence on our "Abba" – that tender, familial name Jesus uses for God – both now and for our future.

Preachers need not treat today’s Gospel as one tightly connected unit. Luke appears to have drawn together separate sayings and teachings on prayer. For clarity, choose one theme: the Lord’s Prayer, the parable of persistence, or the brief teachings that conclude the passage.

If you choose the Lord’s Prayer, notice its communal language. This is a "we" prayer: "Give us," "forgive us," "subject us not to the trial." A community anxiously awaiting the Lord’s return prays this together. We pray it as people striving to remain faithful amid trials. We are "hanging in there," especially when the Church feels fragile and flawed. We pray that we will not lose heart or become lukewarm during testing times. This communal prayer reminds us that Christ has not abandoned us—and will return.

The petition, "Give us each day our daily bread," is the prayer of the poor. Luke emphasizes the poor throughout his Gospel—those who rely on God each day for sustenance. But the prayer also calls a whole community to solidarity, to share what they have so that none are in need. The preacher might reflect on the physical and spiritual hungers around us and how we are called to respond.

Today, our national response to the cries of the poor is deeply lacking. Benefits are being cut; homelessness is increasing. While part of the economy thrives, many are left behind. There is too much poverty and too little economic opportunity for all our citizens. Our Catholic faith tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and the vulnerable before all else. In our job-oriented economy, this tradition is expressed in the security of "gainful employment."

We also pray for daily bread to respond each day to Jesus’ invitation to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23). Each day presents new challenges, and each day we need nourishment. The Eucharist offers strength for today’s journey – a different strength than we needed yesterday. We come with outstretched hands, seeking food that sustains and deepens our joy.

This prayer for "daily bread" is a prayer for life’s true essentials. In our society of abundance and excess, we are often hungry in ways we don’t even understand. We chase satisfaction through wealth and power, only to find ourselves unfulfilled. To pray for daily bread is to admit our dependence on God for what truly matters. It is a prayer to let go of what is superficial, harmful, or unnecessary. It is a prayer to open ourselves – to empty our hands so that we can receive the Bread that truly satisfies, the Bread that will sustain us no matter what trial we face.

Do you ever try to envision what the kingdom of God would look like? Perhaps a few visual images from scripture would help. The Old Testament contains no references to the "kingdom of God" but does speak of God’s sovereign power over all kings and kingdoms. In the New Testament, we can look to Jesus’ parables where the kingdom is compared to a farmer, a mustard seed, a yeast, a buried treasure, a pearl merchant, a fishnet, an employer, a king inviting people to a marriage feast, and ten young women (Mt 13:24,31,33,44,45,47; 20:1; 22:2; 25:1). Is this what you think of when you envision a kingdom, these situations from everyday life? I can honestly say that I see more pomp and ceremony, but what I am seeing in the parables is a kingdom that is earthy.

The kingdom of God is not a geographical area and not a political entity. Paul clarifies the definition in Romans 14: 17 when he says the kingdom of God is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit." As Luke Timothy Johnson writes in The Writings of the New Testament (Fortress, 1999), along with faith, hope, and love, these states and dispositions are "living qualities that could be described behaviorally in terms of attitudes and actions." This is kingdom as a state of being.

We can look at one other source to get a visual of the kingdom of God. The Hebrew understanding of their word, shalom, means peace and more. The verb root, shalam, literally means to make whole or complete. Shalom is that situation in which everyone has what is necessary for a full life. I can picture God’s kingdom as a place where everyone is wholly who they are meant to be, living lives of righteousness, peace and joy, on this earth. This could be pie-in-the-sky thinking, but, I believe, with every act of social justice that we perform collectively or individually, we come one step closer to shalom on earth. Only God can bring the kingdom but we, who are made in God’s image, can seek to emulate our creator to the best of our ability. Like Abraham, in the first reading, God invites us to be a covenant partner to deliberate with God and be part of the plan.

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director

Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

Jesus said to his disciples,

"Suppose one of you has a friend,

to whom he goes at midnight and says,

‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread...."’

Jesus says to us today, "Suppose you were hungry and it was late and you were weary of trying on your own, but then decided to hold out a hand to God. Wouldn’t God give you something nourishing? Something you needed and can’t provide for yourself? Of course God would, because God is our friend in the night." Then Jesus would add: "You go and do likewise."

• For what "bread" am I hungering these days?

• Am I being constant and trusting as I pray for it?

POSTCARDS TO DEATH ROW INMATES

"One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out."

---Pope Francis

Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or, whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.

Please write to:

----Central Prison, P.O. 247, Phoenix, MD 21131

Please note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above address in Maryland.

If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Fr. Jude Siciliano, OP.

St. Albert Priory, 3150 Vince Hagan Drive,  Irving, Texas 75062-4736

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