Catholic Men’s Daily Devotional and Bible Study – 17th Week in Ordinary time – Sunday – Cycle C – Luke 11:1-13

Following His direction to Martha to seek Him as the one thing needed (Luke 10:38-42), the disciples come to Christ as He is in prayer. Christ now reveals the importance of prayer and the need for perseverance in prayer. To review a commentary on the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4), see the Daily Devotional for the 11th Week in Ordinary Time – Thursday (Matt 6:7-15).

After giving the treasure of the Lord’s Prayer, Christ reveals essential prayer practices. Using the Parable of the Friend in Need (Luke 5-8), Christ urges men to realize their complete dependence on God (e.g. need for bread) and that God responds to those who are relentlessly persistent in prayer. Christ describes the nature of persistence, telling men to ask, seek, and knock; He is describing an active type of prayer that is specific about needs (ask), is driven to find truth (seek) and that is undeterred when God seems distant (knocking on a closed door).

Christ twice repeats His promise that God will answer those who ask, seek and knock in prayer. As earthly fathers give their children good things, the Heavenly Father will give much more; the Father will give men who pray the Holy Spirit!

Awed by Jesus Christ – The Son of God, in the Incarnation as the Son of Man, reveals how men can approach the Father in prayer. Person of the Trinity, the Son refers to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Divine Priest, Christ gives the treasure of the Lord’s Prayer with its mysterious reference to the Eucharist (see 2 below).

Being a Heroic Catholic Man

1) While the Son of God was with the Father from the beginning, the Son learns to pray in His human nature in the Incarnation. Marvel at how the Son’s mysterious experience as the Perfect Man is used to teach men to pray.

2) The word Greek word, epiousios, translated as “daily” (“daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer) has a mysterious and profound meaning. Epiousios was invented (it is not found elsewhere in ancient Greek) for a word that Christ used that reveals the Eucharist; various translations mysteriously point to the Eucharist include “future bread”, “manna”, “necessary” and “super-essential” (CCC 2837). When praying the Lord’s Prayer each day, recall the Eucharist when repeating “daily bread.”

3) Despite Christ’s own prayer practice and fervent urging to men to pray, the majority of Catholic men do not pray regularly. “Disciple” and “discipline” share a common Latin root discipulus; one can not be a disciple if one doesn’t follow disciplines.  Commit to imitate Christ and His call for men to pray with persistence; pray multiple times each day (e.g. morning, meals, before retiring, in response to daily stress and joy).

Spiritual Practices – Include in Today’s Prayers

Sacred Mystery of Rosary – The Glorious Mysteries

Daily Devotion – The Blessed Trinity

Virtue of the Day – Charity

Corporal Work of Mercy – To feed the hungry

Spiritual Work of Mercy – To admonish the sinner